Washington Affirms Its Support For Iraq’s Sovereignty During The Meeting Between Rubio And Fuad Hussein
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated his country’s support for Iraq’s sovereignty on Saturday, which promotes stability in the Middle East.
In a post on Twitter following his meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Rubio said, “A strong, stable, and sovereign Iraq, free from malign influence, is vital to regional stability and the preservation of US interests and opportunities.”
He added that he had a “valuable conversation with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein,” praising Iraq’s efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote constructive dialogue in the region. https://www.radionawa.com/all-detail.aspx?jimare=41703
US Secretary Of State: A Strong And Stable Iraq Is Vital To The Stability Of The Region.
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | Politics Number of reads: 183 Baghdad / NINA / US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed: “A strong, stable, and sovereign Iraq, free from malign influence, is vital to the stability of the region and the preservation of US interests and opportunities therein.
” Rubio said in a post on the “X” website: “I had a valuable dialogue with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein. I commend his efforts to calm tensions and promote constructive dialogue in the region.” / End https://ninanews.com/Website/News/Details?Key=1210180
The Minister Of Finance Participates In The Annual Spring Meetings Of The World Bank Group And The International Monetary Fund.
Saturday, April 26, 2025, 10:39 AM | Economic Number of readings: 147 Baghdad / NINA / Minister of Finance Taif Sami Mohammed, Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq Ali Al-Alaq, and the accompanying delegation participated in the annual spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, held from April 20 to 23, 2025 in Washington, to discuss global economic challenges, economic development, financial stability and other related issues, in addition to plenary sessions, seminars and side consultations.
A statement by the Ministry of Finance said: “The Minister began her participation in the first meeting with the Executive Director of the World Bank, Abdulaziz Al-Mulla, and discussed the economic situation in Iraq and the role of the World Bank in supporting Iraq in its reform programs, especially in the issues of maximizing revenues, reducing expenditures, digitization, electronic systems, infrastructure projects, energy and the environment.”
She also met with Hella Sheikh Rouho, Regional Vice President of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and her accompanying delegation, and discussed with her the most important obstacles to investment in Iraq and ways to address them, as well as the most important projects supervised by this institution in Iraq in the transportation, energy and international trade financing sectors.
She explained that the institution can support projects of the Iraq Development Fund. The Deputy Chairman of the Foundation also emphasized the support of the private sector and its projects, as well as the agricultural and industrial sectors in Iraq.
The delegation, headed by her, held a high-level meeting with the World Bank Vice President for the Middle East, Othman Dawani. The meeting discussed the portfolio of projects funded by the World Bank, particularly the railway project in Iraq.
It was agreed to review this portfolio to follow up on project implementation, identify work obstacles, and find solutions for their implementation and completion within the specified timeframe. The meeting also discussed the government’s priorities for future projects, which the World Bank can support, with regard to renewable energy, waste management, and transportation projects, especially the metro, airports, and railways.
The meeting also discussed the issue of human development in Iraq, which is a government priority, to be included in the World Bank’s plans to allocate support and launch future projects in the education, health, employment, and social protection sectors.
The statement added: “The Minister, along with the Governor of the Central Bank, attended the ministerial meeting chaired by the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Gurevichi, and attended by the Ministers of Finance and Governors of the IMF member countries.
The discussions focused on the global economic situation, the increasing uncertainty and its economic impacts at the local and global levels, addressing challenges and measures to enhance resilience, identifying strategies to maintain the macroeconomy and manage debt sustainability, in addition to focusing on exchanging visions and experiences regarding economic reforms, enhancing the performance of government institutions, supporting and strengthening the private sector, and opening the way for them to be at the forefront of sustaining the economic resilience of the countries of the region.
The Iraqi delegation’s agenda also included participation in the meeting held with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Dr. Mohamed Maait, during which the spotlight was placed on specific reforms to improve the performance of the financial sector in Iraq, and sharing updates between the two sides through activating areas of partnership with the Fund.
During the meetings, the Minister of Finance, Taif Sami, held a coordination meeting with the Head of the IMF Mission to Iraq, Jean-Quillaume.
The meeting included discussions on the prospects for growth of the Iraqi economy through the government’s reform program aimed at strengthening the oil and non-oil sectors, and how to maintain economic stability in Iraq in light of the global economic conditions.”
She also met with the Director of Technical and Financial Affairs and her technical team at the IMF, responsible for providing technical support and expertise to the Ministry of Finance. The meeting discussed steps to provide technical support to the General Tax Authority and the General Customs Authority regarding the electronic automation of their systems and reviewing amendments to their laws. Sami expressed her readiness to provide technical support and training on these systems for customs and tax employees.
The meeting also discussed completing the requirements for the single treasury account and reviewing the procedures implemented by the Ministry of Finance in relation to this program.
In a related context, the delegation held a meeting with Jihad Azour, Director of the IMF’s Middle East and Asia Department, where they discussed a range of economic issues and the most prominent financial policy forecasts.
For his part, the Regional Representative stressed the Fund’s commitment to supporting all financial, banking, and monetary reform programs adopted by the Iraqi government. / End
https://ninanews.com/Website/News/Details?key=1209156
Al-Sudani’s Advisor: Iraq Has Become An Attractive Environment For Turkish Investments.
Money and Business Economy News – Baghdad The Prime Minister’s Advisor for Investment Affairs, Mohammed al-Najjar, affirmed on Saturday that Iraq has become an attractive environment for Turkish investments, noting that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has succeeded in transforming trade relations with Türkiye into investment opportunities.
Al-Najjar said, “Iraq is the first country in which Turkey will invest. It is well known that Turkey is the one seeking investment opportunities and requesting investments. However, we have succeeded, through government measures, in attracting investment environments in Iraq.” He pointed out that “the opportunities created by the Prime Minister have made Iraq an attractive country for Turkish companies, which constitutes an important platform for a large number of countries to enter and invest in the opportunities available in Iraq.”
He added that “the entry of Turkish investments into Iraq represents a turning point in relations between the two countries. This is the first time that relations have shifted from the commercial aspect to the investment aspect.” He pointed out that “there are multiple areas for Turkey to invest in Iraq, including infrastructure, roads, energy, and communications, all of which represent significant opportunities for Turkish companies that have begun to turn to investment, not just contracting or commercial operations.”
Al-Najjar explained that “Iraq has worked to transform its relationship with Türkiye into an investment relationship, including a development path, which will constitute a fundamental pillar for Turkey as a starting point for investment.” https://economy-news.net/content.php?id=54838
Economic expert Ikram Abdel Aziz: The tourism sector is no less important than oil…and its resources are inexhaustible.
Friday, April 25, 2025 21:48 | Economic Number of readings: 264 Baghdad/ NINA / Economic expert Ikram Abdel Aziz called for better investment in the tourism sector and benefiting from its large financial returns.
She told the Iraqi National News Agency ( NINA ):
“The tourism sector provides an
inexhaustible income and is an
important source no less important than oil, as
it adds quick revenues that are
free from the risks of falling and rising prices. In addition,
it does not take a long time to bear fruit,
as in the trend towards the industrial and agricultural sectors.
Its revenues come when the infrastructure is available for it, and the
factors supporting the visitors are available, as
it will achieve support for the national economy.” She explained:
“The public financial revenues of the tourism sector in Iraq constitute 3% of the gross domestic product, which is small and does not match the investment opportunities available for this vital and pioneering sector.” The economic expert added:
“The tourism sector previously wasn’t at the level it had hoped for,
but it’s now experiencing a major renaissance, particularly religious tourism, which could contribute to boosting federal budget funding with revenues beyond the unilateral developmental cycle of oil.” She pointed out that,
according to statistics, the most visited Iraqi governorates are Karbala and Najaf in first place, followed by Baghdad, Erbil, Basra and Dhi Qar, respectively, and the tourists who visited these cities came from about 80 countries during the past year,
calling for attention to other types of tourism such as medical and cultural tourism, and the
preparation of tourist guides with a high level of culture and knowledge.
She continued: “Among the things that support the development of the Iraqi tourism sector are
providing safe means of transportation,
providing electrical supplies to hotels and other places, and
improving the quality of communications for visitors, as these represent an effective element in attracting tourists.”
Economic expert Dr. Ikram Abdel Aziz concluded her speech by saying:
“When we put in place the infrastructure to support the reception of large numbers of delegations,
Iraq will have succeeded in attracting financial revenues by developing such an activity,
which makes it occupy a distinguished position in terms of revenues, and this trend represents one of the goals of economic and social development.” / End T https://ninanews.com/Website/News/Details?key=1200130
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