Prime Minister’s Advisor: Central Bank Decisions Contribute to Reducing Inflation Rates in the Country
The financial advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Mohammed Saleh, explained that the decisions of the Central Bank contribute to reducing inflation rates in the country, and pointed out that economic growth contributes to strengthening the value of the local currency.
Saleh said in an interview with “Al-Sabah”, followed by “Al-Eqtisad News”, that “the policies of the Central Bank play a major role in stabilizing the currency, which achieves harmony between the internal value of the currency and its external value,” explaining that “decisions to raise or lower interest rates as part of monetary policy work will undoubtedly be reflected in reducing inflation rates and maintaining the stability of the currency value.”
He added that prosperous and sustainable economic growth in the gross domestic product contributes to strengthening the value and stability of the currency, indicating that the real factors affecting the strength of the national currency include high productivity, high employment of the workforce, in addition to real investment and innovation, especially technological development.
Saleh pointed out that technology and innovation can lead to improved productivity and economic growth, which enhances the value of the currency, all of which are factors generated by the real sector in the economy or the national development policy.
He pointed out the importance of political stability and the strength of the administrative system and its governance, which are important behavioral factors in enhancing confidence in the national currency. LINK
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Clare: Baghdad Today publishes the full details of Al-Sudani’s speech
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani delivered a speech to the Iraqi people today, Sunday (September 8, 2024), in which he addressed political files, government achievements, and other service-related issues.
Al-Sudani said in his televised speech, addressing the Iraqi people: “Direct discourse is our permanent approach to building trust with you,” indicating that “the government was formed in circumstances that are still evident in the memory of the recent past and the political intersections that preceded it and the absence of a comprehensive vision in managing the state.”
He added, “Our government has embarked on an accurate and realistic reading of the most important demands and necessities that govern the relationship between the citizen and his government. We have formulated the concept of a service government and its priorities in addressing unemployment, poverty, services, and meeting the imperatives of economic reform, in addition to the most important file, which is combating corruption, based on political support from the State Administration Coalition and all national political forces.”
The Prime Minister continued: “We addressed the conditions of those covered by the social protection network by including 961 thousand new families and more than 7 and a half million food baskets monthly within the ration card items, and more than two million students were included in the student grant and more than 372 thousand salaries for the full-time appointee.”
He pointed out that “a campaign was launched to provide school buildings at various levels and tracks to complete more than 500 new buildings in addition to the restoration and maintenance of thousands of other buildings. We ended the problem of contractors, higher degrees, top graduates and daily wages by addressing nearly one million job grades.”
He explained, “We supported the private sector by allocating projects for the (Iraq Development Fund), which is a step that will produce thousands of job opportunities for our children, and it has actually begun to bear fruit.” He pointed out that, “the indicators of local energy production have reached 27 thousand megawatts for the first time, and the oil sector has witnessed a remarkable development, and we have begun to exploit associated gas and have reached 67 percent of it, and we have achieved self-sufficiency in gas oil fuel and have entered the export phase.”
Al-Sudani revealed that “gasoline production increased to 28 million liters per day, and imports declined to their lowest levels and will stop at the beginning of 2025. In the services and infrastructure file, major strategic projects have been launched, whether in the Iraq Development Road or the Grand Faw Port.”
He said: “The government has begun to address the housing issue extensively and the urgent need for new cities. We have achieved self-sufficiency in wheat production, and we have opened the doors to national industry and begun to adopt major industrial cities.”
He pointed out that “the traffic congestion treatment projects reached final completion rates in record time, and some of them were actually opened,” adding that “the stalled projects decreased from 2,611 suspended projects and contracts to work resuming on 471 projects for ministries and 354 projects and contracts in the governorates.”
He added: “400 projects and contracts have been fully completed after some of them had been halted for more than ten years,” noting that “the government succeeded in holding provincial council elections, and we have ended forever the confusion resulting from the multiplicity of personal documents for citizens. More than 40 million unified personal cards have been issued, and we have launched the electronic passport systems and reduced all the reviews that exhausted citizens.”
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces announced “taking an important step to resolve the issue of the international coalition to fight ISIS and ending the work of the UNAMI mission,” adding, “The government also made an important effort in the international relations file despite the unrest in the region and the aggression on Gaza, and succeeded in sparing Iraq the repercussions of the escalation.”
He said: “Based on these principles and after all the success achieved, which is credited to both the executive and legislative authorities and to the various national forces contributing to the government, we worked without hesitation to support the constitutional tasks of the judiciary in order to complete the circles of stability and progress.”
The Prime Minister stressed that, “When the government placed combating financial and administrative corruption at the top of its goals, we faced and continue to face operations of confusion, obfuscation, spreading fallacies, attempts to mix facts with lies, and accusing the government of ignoring some aspects of corruption.”
Al-Sudani also stressed that “the government is ahead of all constitutional authorities in confronting and holding accountable any exploitation of the job position that seeks to blackmail or violate the law at any level, and no one will be beyond the reach of the law,” indicating that “the government is the government of all, and its success and ability to meet the aspirations of Iraqis and achieve development and prosperity will benefit everyone as well.”
He called on “the national political forces and constitutional authorities to assume comprehensive responsibility towards these major entitlements and stand united behind the government to complete its service program and not allow attempts to obstruct that target everyone’s achievements, especially in light of the rapid challenges and developments witnessed by the region, particularly on the security and economic levels.” He explained that “those who are concerned about the success of the government, we affirm our commitment to meeting the demands of our people as a matter of utmost importance, and that the real and decisive success for us is the satisfaction of the Iraqis and the achievement of their aspirations.”
He promised, “Our success in the project of building Iraq and its contemporary renaissance is a project for all Iraqis, with all their spectrums and all their national orientations that believe in a single, powerful Iraq.”
Al-Sudani stressed “the importance of settling the entitlement to the presidency of the House of Representatives, as we stand at the same distance from all political forces,” adding, “The government is waiting for this important step in order to proceed to the House of Representatives to approve the ministerial amendment based on an evaluation of the ministers’ performance.”
The Prime Minister praised “the performance of the state ministries during the past stage and the achievements they recorded that make a difference and represent the spirit of the government program and its goals,” renewing “the pledge to our people to continue the effort and struggle, and to continue on the same approach with higher momentum and unwavering determination towards building a strong, unified, independent, prosperous Iraq in which its people live with pride and dignity.”
