The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
Overview While many have been concerned at the impact of Osama bin Laden’s death on the security situation in Iraq, conditions have not changed significantly in recent days. Levels of violence actually fell last week, although conditions are still worse than normal. The majority of attacks continue to take place in Baghdad, although last week […]
Jordan’s Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Taisir Masadeh last week met President Masoud Barzani, Prime Minister Barham Salih and ministers in Erbil to assess the latest developments and pave the way for a Jordanian consulate to open soon in the Kurdish capital. President Barzani and Ambassador Taisir discussed strengthening cooperation and coordination between the Kurdistan Regional […]
Members of the European Parliament this week in Erbil met the Kurdistan Region’s leadership. The head of the delegation Mr Struan Stevenson said to President Barzani that Iraq and Kurdistan could provide a model in the Middle East of how challenges can be solved through democracy. When meeting President Barzani, Mr Stevenson said that his […]
The Oil and Energy Parliamentary Committee will discuss the controversial oil contracts awarded by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq amid objections from the Federal Oil Ministry, it was announced on Monday. The contracts were awarded in 2009 by the KRG, but were never officially recognized by the central government in Iraq, who said […]
Hungary is keen to improve trade and relations with Iraq, and along with the re-opening of its embassy in Baghdad it plans to open a consulate in Erbil. The announcement came on Sunday after a meeting between Hungary's deputy foreign minister, its Ambassador to Iraq, and the Chairman of Kurdistan's department of External Relations. According […]
The following article was written by Anahit Khatchikian and Roni Alasor, and published by Ararat News -- it is reproduced here with their permission. The opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On economic level Federal Kurdistan Region (Iraq) has been compared by Western […]
Overview Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week to the highest level seen this year. The graph below indicates that there were over 70 major attacks recorded countrywide, the majority of which took place in Baghdad. There were several incidents also recorded in eastern Anbar province, a slight fall in the number of attacks […]
By Chris Bowers, British Consul General in Erbil. This article was originally published by Rudaw, and is re-published with permission by Iraq Business News. Imagine a visitor who arrives at Erbil International Airport. He passes a car showroom and heads to a hotel. He flicks a switch and is pleased to see the room illuminated […]
Sterling Energy Plc has issued its Interim Management Statement for the period beginning 1 January 2011. HIGHLIGHTS Sangaw North-1 exploration well is drilling ahead at 3,760m. Production, net to Sterling from the Chinguetti field, averaged 629 bopd for the first quarter 2011 (Q1 2010: 714 bopd) Adjusted EBITDA in first quarter of $0.6 million (Q1 […]
As part of the reform program announced by President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani (pictured), and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), all land allocations to private companies and investors have been suspended for two months, pending a new, more efficient mechanism for land allocations. This decision excludes agricultural and industrial projects, as well as projects […]
By Tariq Abdell, Iraq’s political risk analyst, Founder & CEO of Mesopotamia Insight. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Mr Gates, U.S. Defense Secretary, recent visit to Iraq underlines Washington's uneasiness and frustration with Baghdad's indecisiveness and lack of strategic foresight […]
Overview Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week, with a particular increase in the number of attacks targeting civic employees in Baghdad. There were also clusters of violence in the cities of Fallujah, Ramadi, Mosuk and Kirkuk, as well as in the north of Babil province. The south was relatively quiet, as was most […]
