The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
About 400 foreign companies have opened branches and representation offices in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region to expand their business in the fast-growing investment market here, Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Trade and Industry said. AKnews reports that about 430 foreign companies registered in 2011 to do business in Kurdistan – an increase of about […]
Seventeen stadiums in Iraqi Kurdistan are to be renovated, and new sports centres will be created, at a total cost of 20 billion Iraqi dinars ($17m), reports AKnews. 4.6 billion Iraqi dinars ($3.9m) will be used to refurbish stadiums in and around Erbil, while 991 million Iraqi dinars ($850,000) will go towards renovating Sulaimaniya stadium; […]
A member of the Scottish Parliament joined a delegation of British MPs to the Kurdistan Region last week in order to meet local leaders and explore ways to strengthen political, cultural and economic ties with the Region. The delegation, which consisted of members from Westminster’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Kurdistan Region and the […]
Statement by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Dr Rowsch Shaways: In the last few days, some media outlets have reported statements by federal Iraqi government officials related to the oil contract with Exxon Mobil and a potential contract with Total. These statements have drawn the attention of many local and foreign […]
UAE-based Starlight Airlines, the largest cargo operator to and out of Iraq, has entered into an agreement with Emirates SkyCargo to launch cargo operations between its Sharjah hub and Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Under the agreement, the service operates a Boeing 777 freighter to Erbil, twice a week initially, possibly increasing to […]
Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week. At least 19 people were killed and 55 injured in nationwide incidents. This is a relatively low figure for the country. There was a decline in bombings and shootings countrywide. There were no suicide bombings or abductions reported, although a woman was rescued from captivity during a […]
The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Minister of Sports and Youth, Kawa Mahmoud, has announced that Spanish soccer club Real Madrid is to open four soccer schools in the region. According to a report from AKnews, the opening of the schools has been seen by officials in Kurdistan Region as a significant project that will greatly […]
Foreign oil companies are flocking into Kurdistan, finding new oil fields and bringing hopes that the country could become a big oil producer on its own. Javier Blas, commodities editor of the Financial Times, travels across the Kurdstan region of Iraq to check whether the hopes of many oil executives are for real: Foreign oil […]
ExxonMobil is to be excluded from Iraq's fourth licensing auction because of its deals in Iraqi Kurdistan. "The Iraqi government has decided that Exxon won't be allowed to participate in the next oil and gas bidding round," Faisal Abdullah, a spokesman for Iraq's Deputy Prime Minster for Energy, Hussein al-Shahristani, said on Monday. "We are […]
Following Total's statement on Friday that it was considering possible investments in Iraqi Kurdistan, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani warned the French major on Sunday that it would bear the "full consequences" if it did. "The position of the Iraqi government will be the same as with the other oil companies, that no company […]
On his first visit to Kurdistan, the Greek Ambassador to Iraq, Dr Mercourios B. Karafotias, said that he was surprised to see the level of progress that is being made in the Kurdistan Region. In his meeting with President Masoud Barzani on Tuesday, the Ambassador assured the President that the Hellenic Republic wants to play […]
Reuters reports that Iraq has allowed the privately-owned Korean firm SK Innovation to bid in its fourth energy auction, after the company sold its stake in the Bazian block in Kurdistan. The stake was sold to the state-owned Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC), which was already barred from participating due to its stakes in both […]
