The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
ShaMaran Petroleum, the Canadian oil and gas company listed on the TSX Venture under the symbol "SNM", has announced that drilling of the Pulkhana-9 appraisal/development well in the Pulkhana oilfield commenced on April 3, 2011. The Company has contracted an alternative drilling rig (Sakson 101) to the originally agreed Sakson PR3 rig as there was […]
The Ministry of Electricity in Iraqi Kurdistan has signed a contract with a Turkish Company to connect electrical power lines between the provinces of Sulaimaniya and Erbil. Kurdistan’s Electricity Minister, Yassin Sheikh Abu-Bakr, has signed a contract on Sunday with the Turkish ‘Shar’ Company to build these lines, adding that the total cost of the […]
The Norwegian ambassador to Iraq said his country intends to open a representative office in Kurdistan soon. The official added his country intends to set vocational training for Iraqis. The step is one of the plans to boost the economic, political and cultural ties with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Peter Olberg told AKnews Sunday. […]
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a historic visit today became the first Turkish premier to visit the Kurdistan Region. Together with President Masoud Barzani, they officially opened Erbil International Airport (EIA) and Turkey’s Consulate in Erbil. After welcoming Prime Minister Erdoğan and the rest of the distinguished guests, President Barzani said that he was […]
Levels of violence continue to creep up in Iraq. Tuesday’s deadly attack on a government building in Tikrit serves as a reminder that terrorist groups retain the ability to conduct horrific attacks in the country. Otherwise terrorist activity was concentrated in Baghdad and Mosul. The south saw a slight rise in activity but it remains […]
In a move that could increase tensions over water supplies, the Kurdistan region's minister for agriculture has announced that the Region is building 11 dams and plan dozens more. "There are 11 dams now under construction," Jameel Sulaiman told AFP. "We have studies and designs to build 28 more," he added. He said that the […]
According to a report from Niqash, Massoud Barzani, the Kurdistan Region Government President, was invited recently to Turkey for talks on increasing economic integration between the two states. With trade between the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and Turkey reaching $9 billion, relations between Turkey and the Region have improved significantly. Turkey is working hard in the […]
Overview Levels of violence crept up once again in Iraq last week. What is of concern is that this violence was attributed almost entirely to terrorists and militants, whereas recent weeks saw an increase in violence related to civil unrest. Protests subsided (to a degree) last week but more hostile elements, capable of inflicting far […]
By Tariq Abdell, Iraq’s political risk analyst, and 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. In light of ongoing socio-political changes in MENA region, Iraq's massive protests, from Zakho to al-Faw, accentuate the political astuteness and […]
The Kurdistan Region's police chief said his office has proposed to recruit an additional 3,000 new policemen. Abdullah Khaylani told AKnews that the Kurdistan Interior Ministry agreed to the proposal, and it is currently being discussed in the regional Council of Ministers. The Council will respond to the demand after the ratification of the Kurdistan […]
Salahadin Province Council decided last week to form committees in order to negotiate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) about drilling for oil in the Tozkhormato region [Tuz Khormato]. Provincial Council member Damen Alaiwi told Alsumaria News that the council decided the plan in order to give people living in that region the right to […]
An international investment magazine has ranked Erbil in fifth position among top Middle East cities with potential for foreign direct investment. This places Erbil ahead of Muscat and Riyadh. FDI Magazine, a subsidiary of the Financial Times, in this month's edition, ran a feature on Middle East cities of the future, ranking cities by economic […]
