By Bushra Al Mudhafar for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. It seems that a prospective national meeting of political parties in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, is imminent. But questions remain as to whether such a meeting can […]
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted President Masoud Barzani in the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday for discussions on "bilateral relations" and the situation in Iraq and Syria. In today’s meeting, both sides emphasized the need to strengthen relations between Russia on the one hand and Iraq and the Kurdistan Region on the other. Foreign […]
By Bassem Francis, translated from Al-Hayat (Pan Arab) for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Justice and Reform Movement in Nineveh has refused to build an oil refinery in a region they see as being “occupied by Kurdistan and monopolized by […]
President Masoud Barzani departed from Erbil International Airport on Tuesday with a high-level delegation to make his first official visit to the Russian Federation. During the visit, President Barzani is expected to meet senior Russian officials to discuss a number of important matters, including relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Russian Federation, political developments […]
By Abdel Hamid Zebari for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is preparing to change its investment approach to focus on new areas of foreign and local investment — including tourism, agriculture and industry — after […]
Alistair Burt, the UK’s Foreign Office Minister responsible for the Middle East, on Thursday met President Masoud Barzani in Erbil. During his visit, an agreement was made to extend the British National School of Government’s training programme in Kurdistan, and the Kurdistan Regional Government allocated land for the British Consulate’s permanent residences. Minister Burt on […]
The UK’s leading trade association for oil and gas supplies and services on Thursday concluded its first mission to the Kurdistan Region. Dr Ashti Hawrami, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Minister of Natural Resources, met the delegation from the Energy Industries Council (EIC), which was accompanied by the British Consul General Hugh Evans. After their meeting […]
Northern Ireland companies are being encouraged to take advantage of a bonanza of economic opportunities in the Middle East. Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster was speaking as she welcomed His Excellency Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to Northern Ireland, on a two-day trade and investment visit organised by Invest NI. Minister Foster […]
Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport, Building, and Urban Development, Peter Ramsauer, led a business delegation to Erbil to meet Kurdistan Regional Government officials and participate in the first Germany-Kurdistan Region economic forum. The German delegation met Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, who thanked them for their willingness to be part of the Kurdistan Region’s development process. […]
By John Lee. A senior Turkish government official has told the Hürriyet Daily News that the Turkish government will continue to encourage Turkish energy companies to sign more agreements with the Kurdistan Regional Government, despite what it describes as Washington’s warnings not to take such steps as they risk partitioning the country. "These are steps […]
By John Lee. Four industry sources have told Reuters that Swiss oil trader Trafigura is still indirectly supplying gasoline to Iraq through another firm, despite being banned from participating in tenders for 2013 after buying oil from Iraqi Kurdistan. Baghdad's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) finalised a deal in November to buy 1.56 million tonnes […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi] has issued a stern warning to the KRG over their attempts to export large quantities of crude oil to Turkey, describing it as "a red line". "The Kurds are under obligation to ferry all the oil they produce to the national export systems," said the […]
