Saudi Arabia has named an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari (pictured) told Reuters on Tuesday. "This is a very positive development," he added. A Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "We nominated our ambassador in Jordan [Fahd al-Zaid] as ambassador for Iraq […]
The establishment of a new transparency board to promote integrity and anti-corruption practises in Kurdistan was announced on this week, according to AKnews. The so-called Transparency Development and Impeachment Board will investigate government conduct, identify shortcomings and inform the relative bodies. Husam Barzinji [Hisam Hakim Barzinji], the General director of the Kurdistan Economic Development Organization, […]
The Iraqi Oil Ministry has denied any changes to Karbala's refinery, as reported by its spokesman. Asim Jihad told Aswat al-Iraq that all agreements on Karbala's refinery site were set with the Transport Ministry, and denied reports that the site had been changed due to its proximity to Al-Furat Airport. Karbala's Energy and Fuel Commission […]
The past seven days have been exceptionally good for the oil industry in Iraq. The big news for many was the announcement that WesternZagros Resources has struck oil at its Mil Qasim-1 exploration well in Kurdistan; and if you don't know where Mil Qasim is, and what fields are in the same area, you can […]
There was a fall in the number of attacks recorded in Iraq last week, but the death toll was nonetheless higher than normal following a mass-casualty suicide attack targeting a police academy in Baghdad. In total, at least 45 people were killed and 74 injured in nationwide incidents, of which 19 were killed and 29 […]
About 400 foreign companies have opened branches and representation offices in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region to expand their business in the fast-growing investment market here, Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Trade and Industry said. AKnews reports that about 430 foreign companies registered in 2011 to do business in Kurdistan – an increase of about […]
This article was written by Ali Sarhan, and was originally published by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, iwpr.net. It is reproduced by Iraq Business News with permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A plan to triple Iraq’s oil exporting […]
The first international trade fair has been opened in the city of Kirkuk, north east of Baghdad, with dozens of foreign companies participating, according to AKnews. The three-day fair that was opened by Kirkuk governor Najmaddin Karim on Tuesday brought together about 100 foreign and local companies. Kamil Salayi, mayor of Kirkuk, told AKnews that […]
AKnews reports that businesses and currency traders are rejecting 10,000 dinar notes because of rumours about the increasing spread of counterfeit currency. Government sources said last year that an estimated 7 billion dinars worth of forged 10,000 notes came into Iraq from Iran. The fake currency is said to is said to be of high […]
A member of Kirkuk Provincial Council has announced that there new power plants will soon be installed in the province. Fuad Hussein said the decision was made after the deputy electricity minister met the Council. An Iranian company will install two 196MW plants in Dubiz district, while a South Korean company will install the other 293MW […]
Iraq's oil exports declined slightly in January compared to the previous month, according to both Dow Jones and Associated Press. Exports averaged 2.107 million barrels per day in January, compared to 2.145 million bpd in December. Sales grossed $7.123 billion based on an average price of $109.081 per barrel, up from December's figure of $7.061 […]
Reuters reports that Iraq's cabinet has approved a $329.8 million tender with British oil service firm Petrofac for the country's Badra oilfield. Petrofac plans to build a major crude processing facility to help production at the field to reach 170,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) in 2017, a target which was set by Iraq's […]
