Latest news with #RegionalGovernment
Shafaq News
20-05-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan details US energy deals: Not coordinated with Baghdad
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Region is seeking to deepen political, economic, and military ties with the United States and expand energy cooperation with American firms, the Region's Acting Minister of Natural Resources Kamal Mohammed said on Monday. Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Mohammed announced the signing of two major agreements in the gas and oil sectors during the visit. The first agreement will tap into Kurdistan's gas fields to generate electricity not only for the Region but also for other areas across Iraq connected to the national grid, while the second deal builds on this momentum, paving the way for joint oil and gas extraction from Kurdish fields in partnership with another US energy company. Mohammed confirmed that the contracts are structured as production-sharing agreements, consistent with previous arrangements, and noted that "there was no coordination with the federal government in Baghdad regarding these agreements." He emphasized, however, that the deals would "enhance Iraq's infrastructure, especially the gas-related agreement." In addition, the gas deal will help address electricity shortages in the region, support industrial sector growth, and potentially provide gas for residential use in the future. The minister underlined that the Regional Government is actively working to expand its ties with international actors, stating, "The United States is a strategic ally of the Region, and many American companies are already operating in Kurdistan." Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who is leading the official visit to Washington, oversaw the signing of the two energy agreements with US oil firms HKN Energy and Western Zagros at the US Chamber of Commerce. According to the Regional Government, the deals, estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars, are aimed at developing the oil and energy sectors and strengthening the Region's economic infrastructure.
Shafaq News
17-02-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
KRG, Iran discuss regional issues, economic ties
Shafaq News/ On Monday, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi to discuss relations between the Region and Tehran. According to an official statement from the Regional Government, the talks "addressed the latest developments and developments in Iraq and the region," as well as "discussing ways to enhance relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran." The discussions also focused on the importance of strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in the economic and trade fields. The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for an official visit. During his stay, he is set to meet with senior Iraqi officials.
Shafaq News
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
KDP leader slams Al-Sulaymaniyah protests as "politicized": Take your demands to Baghdad
Shafaq News / Hoshyar Zebari, a senior leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), criticized recent protests at one of Erbil's main entrances as "politicized." Speaking on X, Zebari remarked that the sit-in movement organized in Al-Sulaymaniyah is highly politicized, suggesting that demonstrators would be more effective if they relocated their protests to key public spaces in Baghdad—such as Tahrir Square or Imam Al-Qasim Street—in order to demand the timely payment of their financial entitlements. He also noted that the Regional Government has resolved the salary issue with Baghdad. Meanwhile, dozens of individuals from Al-Sulaymaniyah gathered at the Dikala checkpoint between Erbil and Al-Sulaymaniyah, intending to enter Erbil to protest delayed salary payments. A hunger strike, now in its 13th day, along with other demonstrations in Al-Sulaymaniyah, has persisted amid ongoing delays in salary payments and rising living costs, intensifying calls for urgent government action from both the Iraqi and Kurdish authorities. The protests occur amid a severe salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region, where unpaid public sector wages for December 2024 and January 2025 have sparked widespread unrest. The dispute stems from ongoing political tensions between the Regional Government in Erbil and the federal government in Baghdad, centering on disagreements over oil revenue sharing. While Baghdad insists that the KRG must transfer all oil production to the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), funneling revenues into the national treasury to fund salaries and production costs, Erbil contends that it should deduct production costs before remitting the remaining funds.
Rudaw Net
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
President Barzani to attend Munich Security Conference mid-February: Chairman
Also in World Kurdish issue in Syria 'purely' internal matter: Russian FM EU agrees on roadmap to ease sanctions on Syria A Kurdish pilgrim killed in Saudi Arabia after bus overturned EU expected to ease sanctions on Syria A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is set to attend the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in mid-February, the conference's chairman said, calling the Kurdistan Region's representatives 'important actors' in the region. 'Representatives of the [Kurdistan] Regional Government have been participating in the Munich Security Conference for several years because they are important actors in the region. From President Barzani and the Kurds, I expect them to, on one hand, present their position, as they have extensive experience in the fight against ISIS [Islamic State],' Christoph Heusgen told Rudaw's Alla Shally on Monday. President Barzani has attended the conference for several years, and the 2025 edition will run from February 14 to February 16. A former senior policy and security advisor to then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Heusgen reiterated that KRG officials 'play a very important role' in the region and expressed hope that Barzani, with 'his extensive experience and knowledge,' will use the conference to hold dialogue with influential regional politicians. He also stated that Syrian Kurds can play a 'constructive role' in the new Syria. 'They now play a constructive role in the effort to reorganize the Syrian state. I very much hope that the Kurds and Kurdish regions become an inseparable part of this Syria, where Kurdish rights, as they will then be a minority in Syria, are protected according to international law,' he said. 'There's a new government in Syria, which we hope will become an inclusive government. A government that includes all ethnic and religious groups. I think this is very, very important. Of course, the Kurds are also part of this,' he added. A coalition of rebel groups, spearheaded by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched an offensive in late November, toppling the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The country is navigating a transitional phase. Heusgen said there will be talks about how Syria can function and the minorities in the country, but he still does not know who will represent them. The MSC serves as a platform for high-level debates on key foreign and security policy challenges and comes at a time of significant changes this year.
