Archive for month: February, 2016

Erbil, Kurdistan Region (dfr.gov.krd) – Head of KRG Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa today received the new Head of EU Delegation to Iraq, Ambassador Patrick Simonnet, to discuss recent vents.

Ambassador Simonnet expressed delight at visiting the Kurdistan Region for the first time, and said that the purpose of his visit was to meet the KRG leadership to discuss the ongoing challenges facing Iraq and Kurdistan Region.

The Ambassador stated, “I reiterate the support of the European Union to the Kurdistan Region. We have been commending the efforts of the Peshmerga, and we appreciate their role in the fight against ISIS. We are also committed to continue helping the Kurdistan Region in providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced people who have sought refuge in the region.”

Minister Mustafa highlighted the needs of Kurdistan Region and stressed that, “The cost of sustaining the war against ISIS, caring for nearly two million displaced people, and falling oil prices have place a tremendous financial burden on the KRG.”

“We view EU as a partner. We call upon EU to provide technical assistance to help KRG overcome the current challenges and to help us strengthen the institutions of the Kurdistan Region,” Minister Mustafa added.

Both sides also spoke in detail of Erbil-Baghdad ties and the future of the Kurdistan Region. Deputy Head of EU Delegation Mr. Konstantinos Vardakis, Mr. Patrick Geysen Head of EU Liaison Office in Erbil, and Assistant Head of DFR Ms. Siham Mamand also attended the meeting.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – In a statement today, the Kurdistan Region Security Council, KRSC, said that Special Forces from the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism, CTD, part and parcel of the KRSC, rescued a young Swedish woman near ISIL-occupied Mosul on 17 February 2016.

According to the statement the Swedish national is 16 years old and “was misled by an ISIL member in Sweden to travel to Syria and later to Mosul.”

“The Kurdistan Region Security Council was called upon by Swedish authorities and members of her family to assist in locating and rescuing her from ISIL.

“She is currently in the Kurdistan Region and is provided the care afforded to her under international law. She will be transferred to Swedish authorities to return home once necessary arrangements are put place”, said the statement.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani participated in the annual Munich Security Conference. In the first day of the conference, the President held meetings with King Abdullah of Jordan, Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi, Lebanese Prime Minister Salam, Macedonian President Ivanov, UK Foreign Secretary Hammond, German Foreign Minister Steinmeier, Egyptian Foreign Minister Shukri, EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Mogherini, Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif, Italian Foreign Minister Gentiloni, French Defence Minister Le Drian, and other officials from around the world.

In his meetings with world leaders at the conference, the President reviewed the campaign against the ISIS terrorists group, the political and security challenges facing Iraq and Syria, the financial crisis facing the KRG, and the issue of referendum in Kurdistan.

The meeting between the President and the Iraqi Prime Minister focused on the latest security and political developments in the country, and Erbil-Baghdad relations. They both emphasized the need for continued dialogue between the two sides.

During the three-day conference, the President will speak at a special panel on the security situation in the Middle East and the threat of ISIS to peace and stability in the region.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – In a cabinet meeting yesterday, the Kurdistan Regional Government discussed a set of measures to address the current financial crisis, facing the Kurdistan Region.

The cabinet agreed to implement a specific set of measures of reform to reduce costs while having the least possible impact on the citizens.

In a press conference held following the meeting, the KRG Spokesperson Safeen Dizayee and the Council of Ministers Secretary Amanj Rahim announced the reforms.

The measures include implementation of a fair system of savings of a designated percentage of all governmental salaries and bonuses, excluding Peshmerga, Security and other special forces. This will enable regular and timely payment of public employees’ salaries. The amounts will be saved and owed by the Ministry of Finance and Economy as of first of January, 2016 and will remain along with the outstanding amounts from 2015 until a time when the situation is normalised.

All repayments of citizens’ loans to the government will be suspended.

The measures also include formation of a committee to supervise all oil and gas revenue accounts and the entire oil and gas processes, with assistance of an international financial auditing company with the aim to separate the financial areas of the oil and gas sector from the Ministry of Natural Resources until the establishment of the Board of Oil and Gas Income. The Committee comprises members from the Board of Supreme Audit, the Secretariat of Region’s Council for Oil and Gas, the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

It was also decided that all sales, purchase and exchange processes of crude oil and its refined products, aside from the crude oil which is exported through Kurdistan’s pipelines, will be done through public bidding and open tendering to provide equal opportunities to all companies and contractors for the best price at the highest quality without favour or preference. The Ministry of Natural Resources is required to prepare and begin implementing new regulations to this effect within 30 days and the process with be audited by the Board of Supreme Audit.

The relevant Ministries, Governorates and Mayors, in coordination with Chambers of Commerce and Market Supervisory Councils, are requested to supervise the price of daily goods and services to balance price with the income of the general public, in particular food prices, health services, property rent, private schools and nurseries, Internet services and electricity, including private generators. For this purpose, the Council of Ministers has delegated authority to the relevant Ministries and Governorates.

These measures are part of the KRG’s ongoing efforts to address the financial crisis, which has created a huge imbalance between expenditure and income in the Region’s budget, caused by Baghdad’s withholding of Kurdistan’s share from the Federal Budget since February 2014, the war against the Islamic State terrorist group, ISIS, the influx of a large number of refugees and internally displaced persons and the recent sharp fall in the oil price.