The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
Control of large parts of Syria's north east is now in the hands of the Democratic Union Party - the main Kurdish party in the region. About 2 million Kurds live in the area, making up 10 per cent of the population. There are also significant Kurdish populations in Turkey and Iraq and more in […]
By John Lee. The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani (pictured), has said that the policy of his government is to achieve self-sufficiency in fuel and electricity generation. He said that the Baghdad government is cutting Kurdistan's share from the fuel produced at the Iraqi refineries. "Therefore, in these two fields […]
By John Lee. Shares in WesternZagros Resources hit a two-and-a-half-year high of Cdn$1.38 on Tuesday after the company announced that it has signed a strategic investment agreement with Crest Energy International LLC, under which Crest will purchase, through a non-brokered, private placement, 40,714,286 Common Shares of the Company at Cdn$1.40 per share for gross proceeds […]
Just days after agreeing to re-start oil exports from the Kurdistan region, Ashti Hawrami (pictured), the KRG's Minister of Natural Resources, said the region would halt oil exports at the end of the month if Baghdad does not make all outstanding payments to companies working in the oil sector in the region by that time. […]
By John Lee. The KRG is to form a committee to lay down the mechanism for foreign workers to apply for work in the Kurdistan Region, according to AKnews. Abbas Akram, press secretary for Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, said the committee is intended to help to secure the rights of the foreign workers […]
By John Lee. Genel Energy has issued the following announcement on its Bina Bawi acquisition in Kurdistan: On 14 May 2012, Genel Energy plc ("Genel Energy") announced that it intended to acquire a 23 per cent interest in the Bina Bawi exploration licence. The acquisition was to be made through the purchase of all of […]
By John Lee. Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region will resume in the first week of August, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has announced, adding that the decision was a confidence-building measure aimed at solving once and for all the ongoing oil and gas issues in Iraq. The MNR said that despite initial reluctance […]
By Ahmad Salama. This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The conflict with Syria is threatening to spill over borders, as Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad line up on opposing sides. Now the face-off has gone beyond […]
By Reidar Visser. The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq […]
By Padraig O'Hannelly. Tensions between Iraqi Kurdistan and the central government in Baghdad have increased significantly in recent times, both politically and commercially. On the political front, the "difference of opinion" about the sending of Iraqi troops to the border between Iraqi Kurdistan and Syria was eclipsed by reports that the Kurdistan Regional Government has […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Oil Ministry has re-confirmed that Chevron is barred from contracts with the Federal Goverment in Baghdad, and says the company "should be ashamed of their action" in dealing with the Kurdistan Regional Government, which it accuses of smuggling. The Ministry issued the following statement on Wednesday: Chevron Oil Company announced […]
By John Lee. Following months of speculation, France's Total has announced the completion of an acquisition of 35% interest in two exploration blocks in Iraqi Kurdistan. In a brief statement, the company said: "Total ... announced the signature of a Farm-in Agreement in two exploration blocks in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. "Total has completed an […]
