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Rudaw Net
05-04-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraqi PM lays out trade strategy to mitigate US tariffs
Also in Iraq KDP reopens Kirkuk office closed since 2017 Iraq oil ministry denies reluctance to negotiate Kurdish exports Dust storm hospitalizes over 100 in Kirkuk Iraq has ten years of water security from Turkey: Ministry A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - To mitigate Washington's new tariffs, Baghdad will seek better trade ties with the United States through sector partnerships and opening outlets for American businesses, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Saturday. Sudani had a meeting that included the trade minister and the governor of the Central Bank to discuss the new tariffs and their impact on Iraq's economy. As a result of the meeting, Sudani issued four directives: develop direct bilateral trade through commercial agencies and sector partnerships, overhaul US-Iraq banking cooperation, renegotiate trade foundations for mutual benefit, and form an inter-ministerial committee to initiate dialogue with American counterparts. Trump on Wednesday announced 'reciprocal tariffs' on countries around the world. His presentation asserted that Iraq has placed 78 percent custom tariffs on US-made goods and products and so a 39 percent tariff will be imposed on Iraqi goods. Sudani's office disputed the figures. 'US tariff increases on Iraqi goods were based on the trade balance disparity between the two countries, and not due to customs duties imposed by Iraq on American goods,' his office stated. The statement also noted that Iraq's imports of US goods 'are routed through markets in third countries' due to 'specific commercial practices' adopted by American companies in their dealings with Iraq. On Thursday, the financial advisor to the prime minister, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, told Rudaw that the impact of the tariffs will be 'zero' as 'Iraq has no exports to the United States' except oil and gas - both of which are spared from the new measures. The tariffs will affect Kurdistan Region's tomato paste exports, according to Kamaran Bajgr, deputy chair of Erbil's chamber of commerce. 'The businessmen in the Kurdistan Region have to find replacements for the US market,' he told Rudaw on Saturday, adding that this is Erbil's only export to the US.
Rudaw Net
10-03-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq's deputy finance minister resigns over Kurdistan Region's grievances
Also in Iraq US urges Iraq to work with KRG on paying energy companies' debts Iraq moves to boost electricity output as US ends Iran energy waiver Women rights in Iraq face stepbacks amid legal changes: HRW Iraq starts releasing prisoners per general amnesty law: Ministry A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's deputy finance minister stated on Monday that he cast his resignation in protest of Baghdad's failure to pay the salaries of civil servants in the Kurdistan Region on time. Rebaz Hamlan, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), posted a statement on Facebook explaining that his resignation was driven by the 'politicized actions' that have 'continued under the guise of technical and administrative matters.' Commenting on Baghdad's continued delay in paying the salaries of the Kurdistan Region's public sector employees, Hamlan said, 'I have worked diligently to protect the financial rights of the Kurdistan Region,' emphasizing that Erbil has 'fully fulfilled' its commitments to Baghdad. For over a decade, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has faced challenges in paying civil servants on time and in full. In recent months, civil servants in the Kurdistan Region have held on and off protests, demanding reimbursement for unpaid wages for many months over the past decade. The unpaid salaries crisis in the Kurdistan Region was additionally aggravated in the past two years by the suspension of Kurdish oil exports in March 2023, following a court ruling on a dispute between Iraq and Turkey regarding the Region's independent oil sales. Hamlan also highlighted disagreements he had with Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami, with whom he had defended the rights of the Kurdistan Region 'proudly and steadfastly.' 'I decided it is not fit for me to be a deputy minister in Baghdad, receiving salaries on time' while 'the ministry I work for was a source of discomfort for my people in the Kurdistan Region,' Hamlan said, adding, 'I cleared my conscience.' Iraq's parliament in early February passed an amendment to the federal budget law that set the Kurdistan Region's shares at 12.6 percent, based on earlier population estimates and despite ongoing disagreements. Following the amendment's passage, KRG Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, hoped that 'an understanding had been reached' between Erbil and Baghdad, and that the Iraqi federal government would adopt the January salary list - presented by the KRG and 'approved' by Baghdad - as 'a basis' to ensure the timely payment of salaries each month. However, as of March 10, Rudaw has learned that the KRG's civil servants have yet to receive their February salaries.
Rudaw Net
25-02-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Sudani, chief US diplomat discuss enhancing bilateral relation
Also in Iraq Final Iraq census results to take up to four months: Official Iraq moves forward with PMF integration bill amid concerns of US sanctions Kurdistan Region's share of federal budget to increase: Officials Iraq to add 3,000 MW of electricity to national grid: Ministry A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday received a phone call from the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, discussing the overall bilateral relations and ways to bolster them, according to Sudani's office. Sudani and Rubio also 'addressed areas of coordination between Iraq and the new U.S. administration, as well as the frameworks for cooperation within the context of bilateral agreements,' added the statement. They also touched on 'the progress made in joint efforts across various fields and agreed to enhance communication and deepen cooperation.' In September, Iraq and the United States jointly announced an agreement to end the coalition's combat mission against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq by September 2025. The security relationship between Iraq and the US shifted to an advise-and-assist role in December 2021, following intense pressure from Iran-aligned political groups in Iraq. These factions had called for the withdrawal of US forces after the assassination of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani and the deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a US airstrike in Baghdad. Since then, Iraq has emphasized its capability to address the ISIS threat independently. The US, in turn, has framed the shift as a transition from a combat role to one focused on support and advising. Despite its territorial defeat in 2017, ISIS remnants and sleeper cells continue to pose a security threat, particularly in disputed areas across multiple provinces, including Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Salahaddin.
