Iraq And The United States Of America Discuss Strengthening Bilateral Relations In Various Fields, 19 APRIL

 Iraq And The United States Of America Discuss Strengthening Bilateral Relations In Various Fields

Thursday, April 17, 2025 10:21 PM | Politics Number of readings: 16   Baghdad / NINA / The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Bilateral Relations, Mohammed Hussein Mohammed Bahr Al-Uloom, received at the ministry's headquarters in Baghdad the Deputy Chief of the US Mission to Iraq, Elizabeth Trudeau, and her accompanying delegation.

A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that during the meeting, ways to enhance bilateral relations between Iraq and the United States in various fields of common interest were discussed.

Bahr Al-Uloom stressed Iraq's keenness to develop frameworks for bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of energy, electricity, economy, education, health, technology transfer, and capacity building.

He pointed to the importance of the meetings of the Higher Coordination Committee emanating from the Strategic Framework Agreement, calling for expediting their convening and activating new cooperation mechanisms that embody mutual interests and the progress Iraq is witnessing in the security, economic, and development fields.

The two sides also discussed the importance of exchanging official visits between the two countries, given their role in strengthening ties of cooperation, in addition to discussing the ongoing preparations for a number of upcoming visits.

Trudeau expressed the United States' readiness to enhance bilateral cooperation, affirming her government's commitment to supporting the Iraqi government's efforts, and praising Iraq's active role in consolidating stability in the region. /End  https://ninanews.com/Website/News/Details?key=1198429

TIDBIT FROM CLARE, 19 APRIL

 Clare  

Article: "Al-Sudani talks about Baghdad and the governorates' readiness to receive international tourism companies." 

Quote: "according to the statement, that the government's interest in developing infrastructure in Baghdad and the provinces is to prepare them to receive international tourism companies that wish to establish their tourism and hotel projects in Iraq...

Al-Sudani pointed to Iraq's vast tourism heritage, including archaeological sites and religious and cultural centers, which qualifies it to achieve significant leaps and become a leading tourism destination, attracting companies specializing in tourism to operate there."

FRANCIS: "Iraq-KRG unity is a prerequisite for rate reform U.S. involvement= global alignment check"

 

Parliament's Finance Committee Expects The 2025 Budget To Be Unavailable At This Time: Its Deficit Will Reach 60 Trillion Dinars, 18 APRIL

 Parliament's Finance Committee Expects The 2025 Budget To Be Unavailable At This Time: Its Deficit Will Reach 60 Trillion Dinars.

Local | 10:09 - 04/17/2025  Mawazine News – Baghdad  Parliament's Finance Committee said on Thursday that it is unlikely that the 2025 budget will be submitted at the present time, while it expected its deficit to be 60 trillion dinars.

Committee member Jamal Koujar said, according to the official newspaper: "We expect that the current year's general budget tables will not reach parliament at the present time, due to the decline in oil prices, as it was based on a price of $70 per barrel."

He stressed that "if the old price is adopted, the deficit will be around 60 trillion dinars, in addition to an actual deficit accumulated from the past two years."  https://www.mawazin.net/Details.aspx?jimare=260794

EXCERPTS FROM MARKZ, 18 APRIL

 EXCERPTS FROM MARKZ

MZ: I think this one will get us off “stuck”.  Very interesting timing

MZ: “ This one just dropped. “Zimbabwe lifts exchange rate controls” in Iraq they have a fixed rate. But in Zimbabwe the rate floats and they let the market decide it and backed it with gold…but this had created a black market. By lifting the exchange rate controls…. doing this ends the black market . I’m pointing this out because it is exactly what Kuwait did when they revalued. And Iraq is talking about doing the same thing. 

MZ: Tied to a basket of currencies and tied to assets and let the markets decide. To me this shows that Zimbabwe is preparing for a rest. 

Member: They found a ton of lithium in the ground yesterday in Zimbawai !! I believe they finally feel good about their position with their money !??

Is the New IQD Rate Already in the Budget? @DINARREVALUATION #iraqidinar #IQD #iraq

 

A budget hanging on an oil thread.. The cost per barrel reveals the depth of the rift between Baghdad and Erbil., 19 APRIL

  A budget hanging on an oil thread.. The cost per barrel reveals the depth of the rift between Baghdad and Erbil.

 Member of the Oil and Gas Committee, MP Ali Shaddad, confirmed today, Friday (April 18, 2025), that Article (12) of the Triennial Budget Law represents one of the most prominent reasons for the delay in sending the 2025 budget tables to the House of Representatives, explaining that it sparked a sharp dispute between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Shaddad's media office said in a statement received by "Baghdad Today", that "the budget schedules for the year 2025, which the government is supposed to send to the House of Representatives for approval, may be delayed due to the lack of agreement on Article (12) of the Triennial Budget Law, in addition to the decline in oil prices." 

He added that "the decline in oil prices will contribute to the exacerbation of the financial deficit in the budget," indicating that "the latter was built on the basis of an estimated price per barrel of (70) dollars, which is no longer realistic in light of the decline in prices, in addition to the accumulated deficit from the past two years." 

Shaddad continued, "The government is concerned about the financial obligations that may be imposed by the budget schedules," noting that "the latter has announced on more than one occasion that it is suffering from a severe shortage of financial liquidity." 

He stressed that "this shortage will not affect the salaries of employees and retirees, but it may lead to delays in the disbursement of certain financial dues, such as bonuses and promotions, as well as delays in the release of governorate budgets."  link