(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has officially welcomed Iraq as a country of operation and named Catarina Bjorlin Hansen as its first Head of Iraq, Trend reports.

Bjorlin Hansen will oversee EBRD investments and activities in Iraq, reporting to Gretchen Biery, the bank's chief for the eastern Mediterranean region.

Her appointment follows the EBRD Board of Governors' 2023 decision in Samarkand to amend the bank's founding agreement, allowing it to operate in both sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq.

“I am honoured to take on the responsibility of leading the Bank's activities in Iraq. The EBRD is keen to support economic diversification in Iraq, with a strong focus on green and inclusive economic growth,” Bjorlin Hansen said.

A Swedish national, she joined the EBRD in 2006 and has held senior roles in Central Asia, the Caucasus, Egypt, and Moldova. She brings extensive experience in infrastructure, development finance, and private-sector growth.

Since its creation in 1991, the EBRD has invested more than 215 billion euros across 42 economies, with nearly 80 percent directed to the private sector.

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