{Political: Euphrates News} A senior delegation from the US Department of Defense visits {Pentagon}, Iraq and includes the Kurdistan Region.
“A delegation from the US Department of Defense headed by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Affairs Dana Stroll will visit Baghdad and hold a series of meetings there,” a Pentagon source said in a press statement. “The delegation is also scheduled to visit Erbil, and meet with senior officials in the Kurdistan Region,” the source added.
The Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Council on Tuesday discussed dollar price changes in informal markets.
A statement by the Central Bank of Iraq, received by (fourth), said that “the Governor of the Bank, Chairman of the Council for Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, chaired today, the regular session of the Council for Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism.”
The statement added, “The Council hosted the Director General of the Legal Department and the Director General of the Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice to discuss the mechanism for applying due diligence controls to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in the real estate registration departments.”
“The Council reviewed the steps and preparations for the mutual assessment of the Republic of Iraq to be held next August,” he continued.
He pointed out that “the Council has taken a number of decisions in this regard with the aim of preserving Iraq on its advanced position in the control measures that resulted in its exit from the gray area in the 2018 international classification.”
He pointed out, “discussing the developments in the exchange rate changes of the “dollar” currency in the informal markets and the measures taken by the Central Bank of Iraq on them.”
{local: Euphrates News} Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani, today, Tuesday, set the holiday of Eid al-Adha.
A statement from his office, {Euphrates News} received a copy of it, said: “Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani directs that the Eid al-Adha holiday should be from Tuesday, June 27, 2023, until Sunday, July 2, 2023.”
Shafaq News / The Iraqi Council of Ministers has set, on Tuesday, December 18, as the date for holding provincial council elections for 2023.
A statement by the Council stated that the decision came in compliance with the ministerial curriculum adopted by the government, and approved by the House of Representatives last October.
Negotiations held by Iraqi energy sector officials and a Turkish technical delegation in Baghdad made no breakthrough regarding the resumption of KRG oil exports, according to the London newspaper Al-Arab. The newspaper stated that “the failure of the meeting was expected; because the issue is not related to technical aspects, but is basically a political issue and therefore holding such meetings, according to followers, is useless and is absurd.”
The meeting came more than two months after the region’s oil exports stopped through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, amid the likelihood that it will be prolonged, as Turkey tries to exploit the situation in order to pressure Baghdad on compensation that Ankara is supposed to pay.
“We are discussing all technical aspects related to the resumption of oil exports but the decision to re-pump will not happen today and we need to hold more meetings,” an official close to the talks said, who asked not to be identified.
Turkey halted exports of 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) from northern Iraq via the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline on March 25 after the International Chamber of Commerce issued its ruling in an arbitration case.
The other oil official noted that Turkey wants to negotiate the amount of compensation that the chamber’s decision to pay has ruled, as well as seeking to clarify matters related to other open arbitration cases.
Turkey’s decision to suspend exports followed a ruling in which the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Turkey to pay $1.5 billion in damages to Baghdad for damages suffered by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG)’s unauthorized oil export in Baghdad between 2014 and 2018.
“The decision to resume oil pumping needs talks at higher political levels because the obstacles to the resumption of oil exports are more political than technical,” the other official said.
Attempts to restart the pipeline were delayed by last month’s Turkish presidential election and discussions between the Iraqi government’s oil marketing company (SOMO) and the KRG over a recent export deal. But current indications are that Turkey will not give way to a quick return to pump oil through its port.
Followers believe that the Turkish demands are not limited to reducing the compensations that it must pay, but also agreeing with the Baghdad government on privileges that it had in its direct dealings with the Kurdistan government.
{Economic: Euphrates News} The Central Bank of Iraq reiterated what was stated in its amended Law No. 56 of 2004.
The bank pointed out in a brief statement received by {Euphrates News} that “the authority to inspect banks and non-bank financial institutions is exclusively one of its tasks.”
Shafaq News / A delegation from the American Chamber of Commerce expressed, on Tuesday, the presence of active businesswomen in the private sector, in addition to the development of local food products in the Kurdistan Region.
This came at a press conference held by the US Consul General in the Territory Irvine Hicks Jr. with a delegation from the US Chamber of Commerce visiting Erbil.
Jr. said during the conference that the visit of this delegation sends a very important message of America’s commitment to developing and supporting investment in the Kurdistan Region, adding that the visit comes within the strategic frameworks agreement between Iraq and America in supporting and developing various sectors.
Steve Lotus, Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce for Middle East Affairs, said during the same conference that the visit of this large delegation was prepared for years.
He added that there are American companies accompanied by the delegation visiting the Kurdistan Region for the first time, and some companies have been operating for nearly a decade such as PepsiCo, explaining during our visit we held several meetings of new and old companies to learn about the nature of work and investments in the region.
Lotus stressed that the Kurdistan government wants to provide support, assistance and facilities to American companies seeking to come to the region and work in it, indicating that our message in light of this type of transparency and discussions between us will become an environment that attracts American companies to come to Kurdistan, and work in investment projects in Kurdistan.
He continued by saying that what is a pleasure in our visit to this visit we witnessed businessmen and businesswomen at the same time in the Kurdistan region in addition to local food products, including honey, pomegranate and refreshments (ice cream), which encourages increasing investment opportunities in the private sector.
Last Tuesday, the official of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Sven Dzey, announced that the US Chamber of Commerce wants to participate in the investment sector in the region.
At a press conference held at the time in Erbil, Dzyi said that the American Chamber of Commerce is a very strong institution, with millions of members in America, adding that a delegation from the Chamber is scheduled to visit the Kurdistan Region next week (and incoming).
He explained that the visit comes to discuss and dialogue with the relevant authorities in the government, the private sector, and the Chamber of Commerce in the region on how to help American companies come to the region in order to invest directly, or transfer their experience in all of Kurdistan and Iraq.
The territorial government is ready to provide all types of cooperation in order to provide facilities for those companies, Deziy continued.
Last Sunday, the head of the Investment Authority in the Kurdistan Region, Mohammed Shukri, pledged to provide the necessary facilities to the American commercial Ghfra for the purpose of investing in all regions and cities of the region.
Shoukry said in a joint press conference he held today with the US Consul General in the Kurdistan Region Irvine Hicks Jr. against the backdrop of the arrival of a delegation from the US Chamber of Commerce in Erbil.
We are pleased that the United States Chamber of Commerce, accompanied by a number of US traders and companies, would like to operate in the Kurdistan Region, Shukri said during the conference.
He added that US companies operating in Kurdistan want to expand their projects, and expand the US trade and investment business in the region.
Shoukry continued by saying that: The Investment Authority will work to provide the necessary facilities in the regions and cities of the Kurdistan Region to absorb and increase the volume of American investments.
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