Rafidain Bank announced, today, Friday, a plan to include other branches in the implementation of the comprehensive banking system.

The bank stated in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “the continuous expansion in implementing the comprehensive banking system will include more branches in the future within a well-thought-out plan aimed at providing a modern banking experience that contributes to supporting the national economy and meeting the needs of society with distinguished and comprehensive banking services.”

Tishwash:  The Oil and Gas Law Returns to the Forefront… Will Al-Sudani Be Able to Resolve the Disputes Over It?

Talk returns about the oil and gas bill that has been absent for two decades due to political differences, despite the fact that it represents the only solution to all the problems of the center and the region.

MP Ali Al-Mashkoor, a member of the Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, attributed the delay in approving the Oil and Gas Law to points of contention behind which the Kurdistan Region of Iraq stands.

It is noteworthy that the Oil and Gas Law has undergone 11 amendments and has never reached Parliament.

Al-Mashkoor said in a press statement, “The law has been in place since 2008 and was sent to the House of Representatives to regulate the financial and oil matters of the producing provinces,” explaining that “this law cannot be passed except with political approvals from the blocs within Parliament.”

He added, “The reason for the suspension of this law in the corridors of the House of Representatives is the failure to send its latest updates, as there are clear points of disagreement with the region,” indicating that “the dialogues with the region resulted in reducing these articles from 9 to 7 points.”

He explained that “dialogues are still ongoing between the federal government and the region in order to resolve these points,” noting that “until now we have not reached solutions that can be accepted by both parties.”

Yesterday, Wednesday, Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani visited the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to discuss a number of important files, including the oil and gas law.

Iraq’s oil and gas law, which has been awaiting legislation since 2005, stipulates that responsibility for managing the country’s oil fields should be vested in a national oil company, overseen by a federal council specializing in this matter.

The Kurdistan Oil Law stipulates that the Ministry of Oil in the region or whoever it authorizes shall assume responsibility for organizing and supervising oil operations as well as all activities related to them, including marketing oil, as well as negotiating and concluding agreements and implementing all licenses, including oil contracts concluded by the regional government. The Iraqi government also has the right to participate in the management of fields discovered before 2005, but fields discovered after that are subject to the regional government.

On February 21, the Federal Supreme Court ruled that the federal government would be responsible for paying the salaries of Erbil government civil servants, with the amount paid at source in Baghdad deducted from the regional government’s share, and the KRG must submit monthly accounts detailing each salary paid. This is effectively a stricter reset of the original “budget payments for oil revenues” deal agreed between the KRG and the federal government in November 2014.

There are no government statistics on oil exported from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, but the Iraqi Ministry of Oil published an analysis in May 2023, saying the regional government had committed “legal and procedural violations” in selling oil that caused significant losses.

The financial returns of the regional government constitute no more than 80 percent on average after deducting the production costs (the cost of producing a barrel of oil), while the financial returns of the first and second licensing rounds (held by Baghdad) constitute from 94.5 percent to 96.5 percent, and the cost of production is equivalent to (4) times the production costs in the licensing rounds of the federal Ministry of Oil, according to the Ministry of Oil.

Iraq exports an average of 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day, and black gold constitutes more than 90 percent of the Iraqi treasury’s resources.

In August 2023, the government formed a committee to draft the oil and gas law and present it to the government for voting and then passing it to the House of Representatives. The committee included the Minister of Oil, the Minister of Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Director General of SOMO, and senior staff in the Federal Ministry of Oil, in addition to the producing governorates such as Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysan, and Kirkuk.

For years, the points of contention between Baghdad and Erbil have not been resolved, but Al-Sudani recently revealed that an agreement had been reached with Erbil on these points, in addition to including in his ministerial program the resolution of these items, most notably the enactment of the Oil and Gas Law and the implementation of Article 140 regarding the disputed areas.

In mid-February 2022, the Federal Court issued a decision declaring the oil and gas law in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq unconstitutional, and prevented it from exporting oil for its own benefit, with the export to be through Baghdad exclusively, based on a lawsuit filed by the Federal Ministry of Oil.

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Tishwash:  New Mechanisms for Direct Trade Transfers.. Iraq and Turkey Discuss Enhancing Banking Cooperation

The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, and his accompanying delegation met today, Thursday (November 14, 2024), with his Turkish counterpart, Fatih Karahan, in Istanbul.

A statement by the Central Bank of Iraq received by “Baghdad Today” stated that “the two parties discussed the launch of new direct mechanisms for trade transfers between Iraq and Turkey, marking the beginning of a new phase in strengthening banking relations between the two neighboring countries.”

During the meeting, the governor stressed cooperation in the field of settlements for users of Iraqi cards in Turkey, and urged Turkish banks to open accounts for Iraqi banks to expand financing channels for importing goods and services from neighboring Turkey.

The statement added, quoting Al-Alaq, that “the Turkish Central Bank supports the steps of the Iraqi Central Bank in organizing financial operations between the two countries in a way that contributes to facilitating commercial transactions.”

In a separate meeting, Governor Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq and his accompanying delegation met with the general administrations of the branches of Turkish banks operating in Iraq, stressing the need to expand fruitful trade options between the two countries, especially in the banking sector.

Tishwash:  Swiss Ambassador Expresses His Country’s Desire to Invest in Iraq

The Swiss Ambassador to Baghdad, Daniel Hahn, expressed his country’s desire to invest in Iraq, especially in the construction, health, and agriculture sectors, stressing the presence of major Swiss companies specializing in these fields.

This came during the reception of the Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Planning Affairs, Ambassador Hisham Al-Alawi, today, Thursday, of the new Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Iraq, Daniel Hahn, to discuss a number of topics of common interest between the two countries.

A statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry stated that “the Undersecretary welcomed the reopening of the Swiss Embassy in Baghdad and the appointment of a resident ambassador,” expressing “his hope that this would contribute to strengthening bilateral relations and joint cooperation between the two countries.”

Al-Alawi reviewed with the Swiss ambassador the government’s plans and vision to encourage investment, build a diversified economy based on solid foundations, and rebuild infrastructure and services, according to the statement.

He pointed out during this to “approving a three-year financial budget, which contributed to the completion of a number of vital service and investment projects in the capital and other Iraqi governorates, and the imminent completion of other projects such as the Grand Faw Port, and the completion of the designs of the Development Road Project, which is one of the largest projects in the region, with the participation of Türkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.”

Al-Alawi touched on the priorities of the government program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the achievements it has made to strengthen Iraq’s relations with the international and regional community, and to activate Iraq’s role in international organizations such as the United Nations, and regional organizations such as the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to the statement.

He pointed to “the economic cooperation between Iraq and some important European countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Italy, and the entry of major companies to invest in Iraq in various vital fields,” stressing “the government’s desire to revive the tourism sector and facilitate all necessary procedures for that.”

According to the statement, the two sides discussed ways of joint cooperation in the field of water diplomacy, and Iraq’s benefit from Swiss expertise in this field through the relevant institutions in Geneva, and developing joint work to activate the “Water for Peace and Development” initiative, which contributes to addressing pending water issues between Iraq and neighboring countries and mitigating the effects of global climate change.

The two sides also discussed encouraging major Swiss companies to invest in Iraq, as Hahn expressed his country’s desire to invest, especially in the construction, health, and agriculture sectors, noting the presence of major Swiss companies specializing in these fields, according to the statement.

According to the statement, the two sides agreed to work together to organize visits by senior officials from the two countries during the coming year.

The statement quoted the Swiss ambassador as expressing his desire to “arrange meetings with a number of Iraqi officials in the ministries of water resources, electricity, and migration and displacement,” while “the undersecretary expressed his readiness to cooperate in achieving these meetings,” according to the statement.

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