KTFA:

Clare:  Spain confirms cooperation with Iraq to establish Basra-Sharm El-Sheikh railway line

11/14/2024  Baghdad

Spain confirmed, on Thursday, its strong support for Iraq's strong return to the World Trade Organization and its efforts to do so, while indicating that cooperation with Iraq is not limited to railways, but rather in other fields and there are joint projects.

The Director General of International Trade and Investment in the Kingdom of Spain, Elisa Varela, said in a statement reported by the official news agency, and seen by "Al-Eqtisad News", that "there are very good companies in the field of railways, and we are cooperating with Iraq to extend the railway from Basra to Sharm El-Sheikh", noting that "we have a company working on connecting the railway between Najaf and Karbala, and we also have a company working in China that will carry out railway projects in other areas of Iraq in the near future".

She explained that "some of these projects are proposals, and there are signed agreements and cooperation in other areas, including facilitating transportation operations within Iraqi cities and facilitating the traffic situation in a good way so that it runs very smoothly".

She explained that "there are agreements to train Iraqis and sign other agreements that facilitate this aspect", noting that "we strongly support and promote Iraq's return to the World Trade Organization and we seek to do so".   LINK

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Clare:  Kurdistan Minister of Planning: The census that will decide the region’s share of the budget should not be politicized

11/14/2024

The Minister of Planning in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Dara Rashid, stressed on Thursday the necessity of not politicizing the population census scheduled to be conducted in all of Iraq on November 20 and 21, considering that this census will decide the region's share of the budget.

Rashid said in a press conference held today in Erbil, attended by Shafaq News Agency correspondent, that "the population census should not be politicized, and the rights of all other components in Iraq should be preserved," adding, "The decision of the Federal Council of Ministers regarding the census was not in accordance with what we demanded."

He added, "In the shortest time and with the least budget, we completed the necessary preparations to conduct the census," describing the Kurdistan Region's concerns about the census as "constitutional and legal."

Rashid also pointed out that the 1957 census will be the basis for the 2024 census, noting that the 1957 census will preserve the rights of all components.

The Minister called on the people of the region to cooperate in conducting the census, stressing that after the 21st of this month, no one can be registered in the census.

Rashid urged the residents of the areas covered by Article 140 of the Constitution (disputed) to go there and be present during the population census, noting that the Kurdistan Regional Government is providing facilities for the return of the residents of those areas to them during the census.

He went on to say that the population census will determine the region's share of the budget, which was reduced from 17% to nearly 12%, and that the population of the region, which has increased like the rest of Iraq, will become clear, noting that the census will increase Kurdistan's representation in parliament and the rest of the federal institutions and ministries.   LINK

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Clare:  The Governor of the Central Bank meets his Turkish counterpart and the directors of some Turkish banks in Istanbul

November 14, 2024

His Excellency the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, and his accompanying delegation met with his counterpart, the Governor of the Central Bank of Turkey, Mr. Fatih Karahan, in Istanbul.

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, His Excellency 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.

His Excellency added that the Turkish Central Bank supports the steps of the Central Bank of Iraq in organizing financial operations between the two countries in a way that contributes to facilitating trade transactions.

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

Central Bank of Iraq
Media Office
November 14, 2024

https://cbi.iq/news/view/2711

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Clare:  Al-Alaq urges Türkiye to open accounts for Iraqi banks

11/14/2024

The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, urged, on Wednesday, Turkish banks to open accounts for Iraqi banks to expand financing channels for importing goods and services between the two countries, stressing cooperation in the field of settlements for users of Iraqi cards in Türkiye.

This came during a meeting between Al-Alaq and the accompanying delegation with his counterpart, the Governor of the Central Bank of Turkey, Fatih Karahan, in Istanbul, according to a statement issued by the Central Bank of Iraq.

The statement said 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.

The statement quoted Al-Alaq as saying that the Turkish Central Bank supports the steps of the Iraqi Central Bank in regulating 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.  LINK