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By Amnesty International. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq: Release Kidnapped Scholar

The Iraqi government should take steps to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Elizabeth Tsurkov, a US-based scholar who was kidnapped in Iraq on March 21, 2023, four organizations including Amnesty International have said.

Tsurkov, a dual Russian and Israeli citizen, is a doctoral student in the Politics Department at Princeton University in the US. New Lines Magazine reported that she was in Iraq conducting field research on Shia movements in Iraq when she was kidnapped in the Karrada neighborhood of Baghdad. Her family said that she had emergency spinal surgery to treat a herniated disc eight days before she was abducted.

"Elizabeth Tsurkov's abduction falls within a pattern of targeted kidnappings in Iraq by state-affiliated and non-state actors, all carried out with impunity," said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The Iraqi government is responsible for doing everything it can to ensure her safety and release and for holding her abductors accountable."

More here.

By Simon Watkins for the OilPrice.com. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

The Real Reason Russia Is Ramping Up Oil Production In Iraq

With the future of independent oil supplies from the KRI looking highly precarious, Russia is moving firmly into the last phases of its plan for Iraq, as highlighted by serious discussions over the past two weeks for it to increase its presence in the country's oil fields.

Click here to read the full report.

By John Lee.

An Iraqi government spokesman has said that Iraq is considering reviving plans to use an oil export pipeline through Syria.

Following Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani's visit to the country last month, Basem Al-Awadi told the state-owned Iraqi News Agency (INA) that Iraq is ready to discuss with Syria the development of the oil pipeline leading to the Syrian port of Baniyas (Banias) on the Mediterranean Sea, in the event that conditions in Syria improve.

He added that Iraq has contributed to Syria's return to the Arab League, that it opposes the economic sanctions imposed on Syria, and that it is working to ensure Syria's economic recovery.

The pipeline from Kirkuk to Baniyas has not been operational since 2003. An initial agreement was reached in 2010 to build two new pipelines, one for lighter crude, and one for heavier, with further details announced in 2011, but this was not implemented.

According to a recent article from Iraq Business News (IBN) expert blogger Ahmed Mousa Jiyad, the Syrian pipeline has several advantages, but also many risks.

The Syrian regime, backed by Russia and Iran, has been accused of widespread atrocities during the ongoing civil war in country.

(Source: Iraqi News Agency)

By John Lee.

Mr. Hayan Abdul Ghani, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy and Minister of Oil, welcomed Mr. Ivan Romanovski, Lukoil's Vice President for the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East, along with the accompanying delegation, including Mr. Alexey Yakovlev, General Manager of Lukoil Middle East Limited, and the company's Baghdad office director.

During the meeting, they discussed the development plans for the West Qurna 2 oil field in Basra province.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Basim Mohammed Khadhir, Deputy Minister for Extraction Affairs, Mr. Ali Ma'araj, Deputy Minister for Distribution Affairs, and the Assistant Director of the Oil Contracts and Licensing Department.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

By John Lee.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani visited Syria on Sunday, meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

In the first such visit by an Iraqi prime minister in at least 12 years, Sudani said his aim was to, "discuss cooperation in all fields, and to strengthen the relationship, which we believe is important to develop."

The move comes at a time when Syria is actively seeking acceptance from other countries following a protracted civil war, which is still continuing. The Syrian regime, backed by Russia and Iran, has been accused of widespread atrocities.

According to The New Arab, immediately before the visit, Iraq reportedly deported three Syrian Kurdish refugees to Syria, dispite concerns about their safety in their home country.

(Source: Media Office of the Prime Minister, The New Arab)

By John Lee.

A British court has dismissed a claim for defamation against the Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC) and its Managing Director, former Conservative MP Charlotte Leslie.

Businessman Mohamed Amersi, who founded the rival Conservative Friends of the Middle East and North Africa (COMENA), claimed that emails and documents sent to influential party members in December 2020 and January 2021 caused serious harm to his reputation.

Among the 22 alleged imputations were that Mr Amersi had undesirible connections to Russia and Iran, that he was implicated in a large-scale tax fraud and money laundering case in Nepal, and that he made donations to the Conservative Party for the purpose of obtaining a knighthood or peerage.

Mr Justice Nicklin struck out the case, saying that Mr Amersi had failed to prove that he had been harmed by the communications.

The judge also said that Mr Amersi's actions, "strongly suggest that [he] has treated this libel action as providing him with an opportunity also to seek to embarrass (and possibly to punish) the Conservative Party for, as he perceives it, having wronged him. That is not a legitimate purpose of civil proceedings for defamation."

The Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC) aims to forge trusted relationships and strengthen understanding between the UK and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Click here to read the full judgement.

(Source: judiciary.uk)

By Simon Watkins for the OilPrice.com. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Three New China-Russia-Iran and Iraq Agreements Confirm The New Oil Market Order

The last week or so has seen a flurry of major cooperation agreements - including in energy, security, and logistics - between various permutations of Iran, Iraq, Russia, and China.

The three most recent principal cooperation agreements will have immediate consequences for oil and gas flows around the world and their pricing.

Click here to read the full report.

By John Lee.

A delegation from the Iraqi Ministry of Transport has travelled to Russia for discussions on cooperation in the transport sector.

The Director of Iraq's General Company for Land Transport, Mortada Karim Al-Shahmani, discussed cooperation in land transportation of people and goods between Iraq and Russia. The meeting resulted in finalising a cooperation agreement between Iraq and Russia, which the Ministry said would contribute to the recovery of the Iraqi economy by facilitating the entry of goods and people and encouraging investment.

Meanwhile, the Director of the State Company for Maritime Transport, Ahmed Al-Asadi, discussed joint cooperation with the Russian maritime transport officials to enhance the role of the Iraqi national carrier. The cooperation agreement aims to provide new opportunities for the transport of goods and people, in line with Iraq's vision to open up to the countries of the world and develop the transport sector.

(Source: Ministry of Transport)

By John Lee.

(Source: Ministry of Industry)

By John Lee.

Iraqi Airways has started new flights between Baghdad, Moscow (Russia) and Medina (Saudi Arabia).

The Ministry of Transport announced the resumption of these routes this week, after a hiatus of more than three decades.

The Director General of Iraqi Airways, Eng. Karim Kazem Hussein, added that the fleet will continue to be upgraded with modern aircraft.

(Sources: Ministry of Transport, Iraqi Airways)