"Tidbits From TNT" Wednesday Morning 7-12-2023

Jul 12

TNT:

Tishwash: Oil: The agreement with Iran will ensure the smooth flow of gas and end the stumbling block due to US sanctions

Today, Tuesday, the Ministry of Oil confirmed that the agreement with Iran will ensure the smooth flow of the supplied gas and end the previous stumbling block due to US sanctions, noting that its implementation will take place according to an agreed mechanism according to the pricing of global markets, pointing out at the same time that Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani made contacts to accelerate Implementation of the prime minister's directives for the agreement.

"The agreement with Iran to barter Iranian gas for Iraqi black oil represents one of the most important solutions that the government and the Council of Ministers resorted to to pay dues for the supplied gas," said ministry spokesman Assem Jihad.

He added, "The agreement will ensure the smooth flow of the supplied gas and end the previous stumbling block due to the US sanctions imposed on Iran, according to which it was agreed on the supply and pricing mechanism approved in the oil markets, and the ministry expressed its willingness to implement the Prime Minister's directives to ensure the smooth continuation of gas flows."

He continued, "This step is very important, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul-Ghani, held an immediate meeting and contacted the concerned agents and managers, and directed to expedite the implementation of the directives of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers that were issued today." link

CandyKisses: Advisor to the Prime Minister: The government's vision aims to transform Iraq into an attractive country for investment

Advisor to the Prime Minister: The government's vision aims to transform Iraq into an attractive country for investment

Economy News _ Baghdad

The political adviser to Prime Minister Fadi al-Shammari said on Wednesday that the government's vision aims to transform Iraq into an attractive country for investment by improving the business environment and developing the country's infrastructure.

Al-Shammari explained that the government realizes that incoming investment plays a crucial role in promoting economic development, creating job opportunities, improving the quality of life of citizens, diversifying the base of the Iraqi economy and developing non-oil sectors, and on this basis, the goal of the government of Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani is to simplify bureaucratic procedures and enhance transparency in granting investment licenses through amendments to government decisions related to investment.

Al-Shammari indicated that the amendments made by the Council of Ministers to Resolution (245 of 2019) were essential and important to overcome the episodes of administrative red tape, create an advanced and advanced investment environment for the investor, and give more powers and flexibility to the National Investment Commission and investment commissions in the governorates to deal with investors and shorten the time for them.

He pointed out that the amendments came in line with the vision of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani of the need to provide an integrated work environment that meets the needs of the investor and reduces the time in granting investment license, and Al-Shammari explained the most prominent amendments made by the Council of Ministers: -

First - Approving plans related to investment projects with the competent feudal authorities for all projects within (30 working days maximum).

Second: The governorates shall provide the National Investment Commission with the numbers of land plots, their districts, their areas, gender, dependency and uses within and outside the municipal boundaries.

Third: The Central Bank, government banks and other financial institutions granted Iraqi and foreign investors in partnership with Iraqis loans and financial facilities in the event that they complete (25%) of the project.

The National Investment Commission must complete all required approvals, including the allocation of land before announcing investment opportunities.

Fifth: Providing a single window, which serves as an integrated data bank that provides comprehensive details about the lands and investment licenses granted, making it easier for the investor to obtain detailed information from one place about the lands in all Iraqi provinces, thus reducing reviews and simplifying procedures for the investor.

Amendment of Resolution 245 granting the National Investment Commission the authority to amend investment licenses after they were previously vague and unclear.

The amendment empowered the National Investment Commission to set controls and instructions regarding the announcement of the lands on which investment opportunities will be built and to grant them flexibility in doing so.

The amendment to Resolution 245 provides for contracting with an international company to supervise investment projects and giving it the authority to approve or reject the project in the event of non-conformity with the approved specifications and standards to be met.

In this context, Al-Shammari pointed out that the government realizes that transforming Iraq into an attractive investment destination requires joint efforts by all concerned parties, including the private sector, the local community and foreign investors, and by achieving this vision, investment can have an important role in strengthening the Iraqi economy, achieving sustainable development in the country, providing job opportunities and diversifying sources of income.

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CandyKisses: Anbar Supports Sudanese's Steps. The Beginning Of The Dismantling Of Corruption Networks And Mafias

The leader of the United Anbar Alliance, Abdul Wahab Al-Bilawi, announced on Wednesday that all the people of Anbar support and support the steps taken by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, while noting that they are the beginning of dismantling networks and mafias of corruption.

"All the changes made by Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani in Anbar province over the past few days have a significant impact on Anbar society as the beginning of the dismantling of corruption networks, corruption mafias and the economic offices of corrupt parties in Anbar province," al-Bilawi told Earth News.

"There is support for the Sudanese and we are waiting for more from him, because corruption has spread in most joints in Anbar province, and today what has been dismantled and reforms are carried out does not exceed 20%, and we are waiting for the dismantling of the rest of the offices, the sale of land and the domination of people's necks," he said.

"The security changes in Anbar province are a good sign, given that the security authorities were politicized and affiliated with a political party and ordered by them, and Anbar was outside the control of the state, but today the Anbari citizen has hope for the return of the province in the bosom of the homeland, the state and the security forces," he said.

"The reconstruction fund is the largest economic office for corrupt parties, which has been done and we demand an investigation into what was seized in the retirement departments and other departments," he said.

It is noteworthy that the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, has made changes in the past few days to a number of security leaders in Anbar province.

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Tishwash: ‘That’s the relationship we want to build’: Erbil becomes Nashville’s 10th sister city

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — After receiving unanimous approval from the Metro City Council Thursday night, Erbil has now become the first city in the Middle East to be named one of Nashville’s sister cities.

The official approval of a resolution establishing Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as Nashville’s 10th sister city comes after more than two decades of efforts to foster a sister city partnership.

According to the Tennessee Kurdish Community Council (TKCC), the first wave of Kurds arrived in Nashville in the 1970s after the collapse of a Kurdish uprising in Iraq, and today Nashville has the largest Kurdish population outside of Kurdistan in the world.

“Current day numbers are between 25,000 and 28,000 Kurdish people living in our city that are our brothers and sisters,” said District 4 Councilmember Robert Swope, who was among numerous council members that sponsored the resolution.

Swope said former Mayor Bill Purcell recognized the connection between the two communities in 2000 and spent the next 23 years getting the resolution to council members’ desks. Since then, leaders from both cities have traveled over 6,000 miles to visit each other.

A delegation from Kurdistan came to Nashville in May 2022, and just six weeks ago, Mayor John Cooper traveled to Erbil with representatives from Sister Cities of Nashville, council members, Purcell, and other officials to further explore the partnership and city.

“When I landed in Erbil, I was shocked and for the next week we were, let’s just say treated like royalty or dignitaries by everyone from Prime Minister Barzani on down,” Swope said. “Kurdistan isn’t the dessert. It’s more like Colorado or Idaho. It’s actually gorgeous.”

Some evidence points to Erbil being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with occupation dating back to at least 3000 BC, said Swope, who added that the city’s beauty explains why “the Kurdish people have fought for 5,000 years to protect it.”

“The Kurdish community is full of very resilient people. People that went through wars and fled. A lot of them are refugees, and they’ve made Nashville home, and they’ve contributed so much to what Nashville is,” said At-Large Councilmember Zulfat Suara, who also sponsored the resolution.

The sister city program was created by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956, with the vision of building bonds between people from different communities and cultures across the world, according to Sister Cities International.

Nashville has been forging similar connections with other communities for many years. Edmonton, Canada became Nashville’s first official sister city in 1990, and before this year, the last city to partner with Nashville was Chengdu, China in 2020.

Many of Nashville’s sister cities engage in events and exchange programs that give residents from both cities an opportunity to participate in different cultural and educational activities thousands of miles away.

Representatives from the Erbil government are expected to join Nashvillians for an official signing ceremony designating the two communities as sister cities in August. As an immigrant herself, Suara said she is proud to see the acceptance of the Kurdish community in Nashville.

“It goes a long way,” she said. “We live in a very divisive world where people see the other people as ‘other’, and so for a city like Nashville to be able to say the Kurds in this city are our sisters and we’re working together; I think that’s the world that we all want to live in. That’s the relationship we want to build where we see each other as people regardless of our background.” link

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