Latest news with #KurdistanRegionalGovernment
Shafaq News
6 hours ago
- Business
- Shafaq News
KRG: Baghdad must honor salary obligations under oil deal
Shafaq News – Erbil The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday reaffirmed its full compliance with the recent financial and oil-sharing agreement with Baghdad, calling on the Iraqi government to immediately release salaries and financial entitlements. In a statement issued following a cabinet session chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the KRG pointed out that the Region had deposited 120 billion dinars into the federal treasury as part of non-oil income, in addition to submitting the finalized salary lists for May and June. It noted that relevant ministries and auditing bodies from both sides continue to verify monthly revenues and expenditures. The statement added that the relevant ministries had also approved mechanisms to harmonize customs procedures and quality control standards between the KRG and federal institutions. Regarding oil exports, the KRG confirmed that its Ministry of Natural Resources had cooperated with federal counterparts by providing access to oil production data and facilities, despite recent drone attacks on oil fields that disrupted output. Technical teams from the two sides have reportedly agreed to begin transferring KRG-produced oil through the federal marketing company SOMO. 'The Council of Ministers affirmed that these measures demonstrate the Region's full commitment to the agreement, and in return, the federal government must also adhere to what was agreed upon—particularly the disbursement of salaries and entitlements for citizens in the Region, which have not yet been sent. Employees in the Region have been deprived of their salaries for three months, which is a constitutional and legal right that must not be violated under any circumstances, especially since the Region has fully met its obligations,' the KRG stated The KRG also urged its media institutions to act responsibly and refrain from spreading misinformation that could cause unrest or obscure the government's efforts.
Rudaw Net
13 hours ago
- Business
- Rudaw Net
UK smuggling sanctions target 10 individuals from Iraq, Kurdistan
Also in Iraq Iraq eyeing 'sustainable' diversification away from oil: PM advisor Diyala council seeks to block Qaratapa district upgrade Iraq's ruling coalition condemns drone attacks on Kurdistan Region Iraqi parliament fails to discuss drone attacks on Kurdistan Region A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ten Iraqi nationals, including individuals from the Kurdistan Region, were sanctioned under a new United Kingdom sanctions regime targeting smuggling networks, the British consulate in Erbil said on Wednesday. The UK announced on Tuesday the launch of what it described as the world's first sanctions regime specifically aimed at smuggling gangs and their facilitators. 'The first designations under the regime, announced today, include 10 Iraqi nationals who have been exploiting and endangering vulnerable people, including from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and threatening the security of the UK and the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq],' the UK consulate general in Erbil said in a statement seen by Rudaw. 'These sanctions are part of a wider effort, in coordination with international partners, including the KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government], to stop this cruel trade and promote regional and international stability,' it added. The new Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons (GIM) sanctions target individuals and organizations involved in smuggling and trafficking worldwide, including those who fund or enable such activities. Measures include travel bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on access to the UK's financial system. With these sanctions, the UK government does not have to rely on criminal or counter-terrorism laws. They require less evidence and do not involve the apprehension of the suspect. Criminal law also takes effect after a crime has been committed, while sanctions serve as a proactive tool to disrupt criminal activity and publicize the individuals involved. 'For too long, criminal gangs have been lining their corrupt pockets and preying on the hopes of vulnerable people with impunity as they drive irregular migration to the UK. We will not accept this status quo,' UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement on Tuesday. 'That's why the UK has created the world's first sanctions regime targeted at gangs involved in people smuggling and driving irregular migration, as well as their enablers,' he added. The BBC reported the announcement following a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in southeast England's Essex county. The protest was triggered by the arrest of an asylum seeker for alleged sexual assault. It also reported that around two dozen names of the first batch of targeted individuals will be announced. Per the UK consulate general's statement, it is clear that ten of the individuals are Iraqi nationals, including from the Kurdistan Region. AFP released the identities of some of them, including several with Kurdish names. 'The first targets will cover a range of wrongdoing, from the supply of small boats being used on cross-Channel journeys, to the trade in fake passports, as well as middlemen facilitating payments through Hawala networks, to the gang leaders themselves,' the British government's statement said. Hawala networks are an informal and trust-based system for transferring money across borders without physical transfer of money. Separately, the UK has signed a 'one in, one out' agreement with France, allowing the return of illegal migrants arriving from France in exchange for accepting a set number of legal asylum seekers from France subject to security checks, according to the BBC. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also recently reached agreements with France and Germany aimed at curbing the arrival of small boats. Thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region take on perilous routes towards Europe on a yearly basis in hopes of escaping unemployment, political instability, and corruption. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has previously worked with the KRG against organized crime. 'We maintain a positive relationship with law enforcement partners in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and work with them against a range of shared threats, including organised immigration crime," a spokesperson for the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) press office told Rudaw in November 2024. Kurdish criminal groups control the increasingly lucrative cross-Channel migration routes, according to the NCA, which said in its 2023 assessment that the groups are mainly based in northern Europe. Also in November last year, a French court sentenced 18 people, mostly Kurds from the Kurdistan Region, to prison terms of up to 15 years for operating a smuggling network that transported people across the English Channel. In May 2024, Kurdish police in Sulaimani arrested a Kurdish man accused of heading an organized crime group that smuggled people into the UK. The regime was previously outlined by foreign minister David Lammy in January.
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Business
- Shafaq News
Leader Barzani hails Kurdish resolve as Baghdad releases KRG salaries
Shafaq News – Erbil On Tuesday, Kurdish Leader Masoud Barzani expressed gratitude to the people of the Kurdistan Region for their resilience, as the Iraqi government began disbursing public sector salaries. 'Thank you, people of Kurdistan. Despite all the pressures, you remained steadfast as always,' Barzani declared in a message. 'You are a symbol of loyalty and sacrifice, and I am proud of you.' The message came shortly after the Iraqi Ministry of Finance announced the release of May salaries, following the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)'s transfer of oil and non-oil revenues under a recent agreement with Baghdad.
Rudaw Net
a day ago
- Business
- Rudaw Net
KRG hands over oil to Baghdad, receives budget share
A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi finance ministry announced on Tuesday that it had disbursed May salaries for the Kurdistan Region's civil servants, nearly three months after the payments were suspended. The ministry stated that the decision followed the Kurdish government's move to hand over its oil production to federal authorities. The federal ministry said in a statement that it had resumed the payment of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) public employees after Erbil's commitment to the latest financial and oil agreement with Baghdad. The ministry stated that the KRG has begun transferring its current oil production to Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and will continue to do so until it reaches the 230,000 barrels per day (bpd) stipulated in the agreement. It also confirmed receiving 120 billion dinars from the KRG's non-oil revenues, as earlier announced by the Kurdish government. On Thursday, the KRG and the federal government finalized an agreement aimed at resolving their disputes over finances and Kurdish oil exports. However, officials from both sides have continued to accuse each other of creating obstacles to its implementation. Under the agreement, the KRG must export its entire oil output through SOMO, keeping 50,000 barrels daily for local use. In return, Baghdad is expected to make budget transfers and provide refined fuel if needed. The KRG is also obligated to hand over 120 billion Iraqi dinars (nearly $92 million) in non-oil revenues monthly for May. This is a developing story…
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Turkey submits draft proposal to Iraq to renew, expand energy agreement
ANKARA: Turkey has submitted a draft proposal to Iraq to renew and expand an energy agreement between the two countries to include cooperation in oil, gas, petrochemicals and electricity, an Iraqi oil ministry official told the state news agency late on Monday. The statement came after Ankara announced the end of a decades-old agreement covering the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline. "The Ministry of Oil is in the process of reviewing the draft agreement sent by the Turkish side and negotiating with them regarding it to reach a formula that serves the interests of Iraq and Turkey", the Iraqi oil ministry official added. The 1.6 million barrel-per-day Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has been offline since 2023 after an arbitration court ruled Ankara should pay $1.5 billion in damages for unauthorised Iraqi exports between 2014 and 2018. Turkey is appealing the ruling. Turkey still wants to revive the oil pipeline with Iraq, a senior Turkish official told Reuters earlier on Monday. In a decision published in its Official Gazette on Monday, Turkey said the existing deal dating back to the 1970s - the Turkey-Iraq Crude Oil Pipeline Agreement - and all subsequent protocols or memorandums would be halted from July 27, 2026. Iraq and Turkey have been working to resume oil flows from the pipeline. Ankara said in late 2023 that the pipeline was ready to receive Iraq's oil but talks between Baghdad, Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government and independent oil producers were not able to reach an agreement on terms. The Turkish official said the pipeline had the potential to become a "highly active and strategic pipeline for the region". The person added that Turkey had invested heavily in its maintenance, and noted its importance for regional projects like the Development Road - a planned trade route involving Turkey and Iraq. "A new and vibrant phase for the Iraq-Turkey pipeline will benefit both countries and the region as a whole," the Turkish official said, without giving details of what Ankara wanted the new agreement to include. Turkey sees the Development Road initiative - a high-speed road and rail link, running from Iraq's port city of Basrah on the Gulf to the Turkish border and later to Europe - as an opportunity to extend the pipeline further south. Baghdad allocated initial funding for the project in 2023. (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Mehmet Dinar, Ahmed Rasheed and Menna Alaa El Din, Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Yomna Ehab Editing by Daren Butler, Mark Potter and Nia Williams)
