Tag Archives | Kurdistan News

The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.

GKP Shares Rocket on Possible Takeover

By John Lee. Shares in Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP),  operator of the Shaikan field (pictured) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, jumped 65 percent on Wednesday after the company announced that it has recently engaged in discussions with a number of parties in relation to possible asset transactions or a sale of the company. GKP […]

Turkey Agrees Loan for KRG

By John Lee. Turkey has agreed to provide a $500-million [600 billion Iraqi dinar] loan to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to help pay the wages of state officials. According to a report from Daily Sabah, the loan will be repaid by either being set off from Turkey's crude oil debts or being repaid directly […]

PM Barzani "Fully Committed to Baghdad Agreement"

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani told the press that Kurdistan Regional Government is committed to the agreement reached between Erbil and Baghdad last December on oil export and Kurdistan Region's share in the 2015 federal budget. In a meeting held yesterday with representatives of media outlets in Kurdistan Region, Prime Minister Barzani highlighted the […]

KRG and Turkey Discuss Latest Developments

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday received in Ankara Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his delegation. The two sides discussed the latest developments in the region, the war against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS and the role of Kurdistan Peshmerga Forces. They also discussed the agreement reached last December between […]

NI Firm Wins First Business in Kurdistan

Northern Ireland-based Lignum Interiors, a joinery business specialising in bespoke furniture particularly for high-end hotels, has recently secured a six figure contract in Northern Iraq. The company is fitting out a luxury apartment complex in Northern Iraq and secured the deal with advice and networking assistance from Invest Northern Ireland. This support helped the company […]

Erbil, Baghdad Renew Commitment to Oil Agreement

A Kurdistan Regional Government senior delegation, headed by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani was received in Baghdad yesterday by Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and a number of Iraq’s federal government officials. The two sides held two meetings during this one day visit of the Kurdistan Region delegation to Baghdad. The main objective of the meetings […]

KRG Pres Barzani meets with US Commander

President Masoud Barzani received a United States military and diplomatic delegation at his office today. The U.S. delegation was headed by General Joseph Votel, the Commander of the Special Operations Command as well as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq and other U.S. defense and state officials. During the meeting President Barzani shared his perspective on […]

Kurds Reject Proposed Rival Force in Kirkuk

By Mohammed A. Salih for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A law to found a paramilitary National Guard force in Iraq to assist in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) has put Kurds at loggerheads with other communities in northern […]

Kurdistan Needs $1.4bn to Stabilize Economy

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq Needs an Estimated US$1.4 billion this Year to Stabilize the Economy The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is facing an economic and humanitarian crisis as a result of the influx of Syrian refugees (starting in early 2012) and more recently the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in 2014. According to a newly […]

ISIS Targets ExxonMobil Site

By John Lee. Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) militants have attacked Peshmerga forces on the Khazir frontline, north of Mosul, with the aim of seizing equipment and machinery belonging to US oil company ExxonMobil. A Peshmerga commander told BasNews that the extremist group was forced back from the area, including the key villages of Wardik […]

Unpaid Oil Companies "Reconsider Investments"

By John Lee. Anadolu Agency reports that international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Iraqi Kurdistan are reconsidering their investments as they have not yet been paid by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) recently suspended crude oil exports by truck from Iraqi Kurdistan, and was reported in November as saying that it […]

Talisman Books Loss on Kurdistan Block

By John Lee. Talisman Energy, the Canadian producer being acquired by Spain’s Repsol, has fully impaired its investment in Block K44 in the Kurdistan region of Iraq by $234 million, after determining that future investment in a capital constrained environment was unlikely. The company has an interest in two blocks, Kurdamir and Topkhana, covering in […]