Iraq Closes Border With Syria
Prim Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government ordered the Iraq border with Syria closed on Tuesday to aid a massive military operation hunting for al-Qaeda and militant hideouts in the western desert of Iraq. Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki has been a strong supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and reports suggested that his government was facilitating the transfer […]
BIS To Accept Additional Deposits From Iraq
The Central Bank of Iraq announced on Sunday that it has received a memo from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) in Basel Switzerland announcing that it will accept more deposits from Iraq. “This procedure will contribute in increasing Iraq’s money revenues after keeping it in a very secure location,” the Central Bank explained. The […]
Iraq's Cihan Bank To Open UAE Branch
Cihan Bank, a leading private sector Islamic bank from Iraq, is planning to set up a representative office in the UAE and has plans to enter into tie-up with leading UAE banks, according to reports from Gulf News. “Currently, we have an office in Dubai," Gulf News quoted Nawzad Yahya Bajger, vice chairman of Cihan. […]
Journalists Killed In Militant Attack On TV Station
Five people, including a new anchor, were killed in a suicide bombing on Monday after armed militants stormed a TV complex in Tikrit, Iraq, according to CNN. A car bomb exploded outside the Salaheddin TV station, and the local offices of al Iraqiya state TV in Tikrit. The militants stormed the offices, and a suicide […]
SNC-Lavalin Awarded Pipeline Project
By John Lee. Canada's SNC-Lavalin has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Iraq Ministry of Oil's State Company for Oil Projects (SCOP) to provide engineering services for the Iraq Export Pipeline Project. Working closely with SCOP, SNC-Lavalin will provide front-end engineering design (FEED); long-lead items tendering and evaluation; and engineering, procurement […]
Iran to Supply Petrochemical Services to Iraq
By John Lee. The Head of Iran's Petrochemical Research and Technology Company (PRTC), Gholam Reza Jokar, has said the company is negotiating the export of services to Iraq. He said he hoped that a final deal for exporting PRTC services to Iraq will be reached soon, adding that Iraqi officials have shown interest in Iranian […]
Iraqi Embassy in Abu Dhabi Opens
By John Lee. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has opened the new Iraqi embassy in Abu Dhabi , capital of the brother United Arab Emirates with the participation of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zaied Al Nuhaiyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, senior officials, members of the Arab and foreign diplomatic corps and a group of […]
Canada Hopes for Strong Ties with Kurdistan
The Head of the KRG, Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, recently welcomed the non-resident Canadian Ambassador to Iraq, Bruno Saccomani, to discuss the ways in which both sides can work together more closely. This visit follows a similar visit by the Canadian Ambassador to Kurdistan this past October. The meeting was attended by […]
KRG Welcomes new Dutch Ambassador
The Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, has welcomed the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Jeannette Seppen where they discussed a wide range of issues related to further strengthening ties between both sides. The Assistant Head of DFR, Siham Jabali and the Head of the Dutch Embassy Liaison […]
John Crane Wins Zubair Contract
By John Lee. John Crane, part of Smiths Group, has announced it will supply Italian pump designer Termomeccanica Pompe (TMP) products from across the company’s portfolio for the development of the Zubair Oil Field, one of largest in Iraq. The agreement covers mechanical seals and systems, high-performance couplings and hydrodynamic bearings used in the 24 centrifugal […]
Possible Turkey-Iraq-Kurdistan Oil Deal This Week
By John Lee. Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi] (pictured) said on Saturday that he is optimistic Baghdad will soon come to an understanding with Turkey over a contested oil-export agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, he said Turkey understands that it can't enter […]
Oil Exports Down in December
By John Lee. Reuters reports that Iraq's oil exports have fallen so far in December, "capping what has been a disappointing year and highlighting challenges it faces in 2014 in achieving significant production growth". Exports from Iraq's southern terminals averaged 2.01 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in December, according to shipping data tracked […]