The United Kingdom is ready to encourage the owners of British companies to work in the Kurdistan Region and contribute to the development of the economic sector in both Kurdistan and Iraq, a British delegation said on Thursday.

The comments were made during a meeting in Erbil between Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, Special Envoy for Commercial Affairs of the British Prime Minister Emma Nicholson, and British Ambassador to Iraq Jon Wilks.

According to a statement released about the meeting, Nicholson expressed “her country’s willingness to encourage British [business owners] to work in the Kurdistan Region, contribute to the development of the economic sector in Iraq and Kurdistan, and share their experience in the modernization of various sectors in the region.”

KRG Prime Minister Barzani “expressed thanks for Britain’s humanitarian and military assistance to the Kurdistan Region,” the statement continued.

The British delegation also welcomed recent positive steps made regarding dialogue between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) following a period of difficulty.

Relations between Erbil and Baghdad were strained after the historic independence referendum last year, but ties have improved after parliamentary elections in Baghdad as well as Kurdistan, the exchange of delegations, and former Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani’s resent trip to Baghdad.

PM Barzani reiterated his government's support for Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and noted that Kurdistan wants the new government in Baghdad to succeed in its ongoing attempts to restore economic, political, and security stability to Iraq.

According to the statment, Barzani said, “The Kurdistan Region, under those circumstances, will continue to improve relations with Baghdad.”