By John Lee. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani welcomed the Netherlands' new Ambassador to Iraq, Mr Harry Molenaar (pictured), recently, discussing the growing relationship between their governments. Ambassador Molenaar highlighted the importance of the new Dutch Embassy Liaison Office in Erbil, which is planned to officially open in November. Prime Minister Barzani congratulated Ambassador Molenaar on […]
By John Lee. According to a statement on Wednesday from the office of Deputy Prime Minister for Energy, Hussain al-Shahristani, Shell has denied starting talks on possible energy deals with Iraqi Kurdistan. "We don't have any discussions with the Kurdish regional government about working in the region," Shell's vice-president Hans Nijkamp is reported to have […]
On September 25, the U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) of Iraq Ministries of Health and Planning supporting the KRG's efforts to improve primary health care, as called for under the U.S. - Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. The […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) expects an initial payment of 1 trillion dinars ($858 million) from Baghdad to clear next week after the two sides settled their dispute over payments to oil producers. "By 2015, we are looking at 1 million barrels per day. We're on track, regardless of […]
By John Lee. A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) took part in the 22nd Economic Forum held in Poland earlier this month. The delegation included the KRG Minister of Planning, Dr Ali Sindi, the Chairman of the Kurdistan Board of Investment, Minister Herish Muharam, and the KRG representative to Poland, Mr Ziyad Raoof. […]
The Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, this week welcomed the arrival of new Korean, Dutch and French diplomats posted to the Kurdistan Region. “We are very pleased at the level of international representation that we now see in the Kurdistan Region,” Minister Mustafa said. “The international presence here represents the […]
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has extended its deadline for the federal government to pay the money it says it is due in respect of oil exports to 15th September, after which time it will again halt exports of Kurdish crude. Baghdad, on the other hand, has threatened to trim Erbil's budget […]
By John Lee. Iraq's central government is considering trimming federal budget payments to the country's Kurdistan by more than $3 billion to cover losses it says came from the autonomous region's oil exports, reports Reuters. Ali al-Moussawi, advisor to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said a committee found losses of more than $3 billion resulting from […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Kurdistan is to continue pumping oil for export until 15th September, extending its deadline for the central government to make disputed payments to companies working in the region. The KRG had halted exports for several months from the start of April over $1.5 billion it said was owed to foreign oil […]
By John Lee. Sterling Energy Plc has announced the following updates in the Sangaw North Production Sharing Contract ("PSC") in Kurdistan: 2D Seismic Acquisition: The acquisition of 2D seismic data in the Sangaw North PSC, which commenced in July, has now been completed. 117 km of data was successfully acquired and is now being processed, […]
Outgoing Japanese Ambassador Susumu Hasegawa met on Wednesday with President Barzani to bid him farewell as he prepares to leave Iraq. Ambassador Hasegawa thanked the President and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for their support and assistance. He discussed Japan’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as the projects that Japanese institutions […]
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government has again warned Baghdad that it will stop exporting oil if the central government continues withholding payments to the oil companies operating in the region. The KRG has set 1st September as the start date for halting oil exports. An official has said Baghdad has not given any […]
