“Tidbits From TNT” Saturday 9-16-2023

TNT:

CandyKisses:  Sudani and Fouad Hussein with world leaders in New York

World leaders will meet at the United Nations next week amid geopolitical tensions largely fueled by Ukraine’s war, with Russia and China competing on one side with the United States and Europe on the other for the support of developing countries.

The Iraqi delegation will participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, and will meet there with many world leaders, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf.

Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein arrived yesterday in New York to participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly.

Russia’s war in Ukraine will be the focus again at the annual gathering in New York, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend in person for the first time since the conflict began.

Also on the agenda for this year’s meetings are the concerns of the southern hemisphere, and the focus on this is partly a reflection of the growing interest of Western countries in developing countries to ensure their support in efforts to isolate Russia.

Several high-level meetings during the General Assembly will focus on the priorities of developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia: climate, health, development finance and how to put the Sustainable Development Goals on track.

Ahead of the New York meetings, diplomats acknowledged their focus on developing countries, but denied suggestions that rivalry played a role.

Tishwash:  To control the money… Parliamentary Finance accuses America of putting pressure on the Central Bank

On Saturday, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Moeen Al-Kadhimi, accused the United States of America of putting pressure on the Central Bank of Iraq by preventing the Federal Bank from accessing the funds.  

Al-Kadhimi said in an interview with the Maalouma Agency, that “American dominance over the work of the Central Bank must be consistent with the vision of the Federal Reserve and the American Treasury.”

He added, “There are efforts being made by the Central Bank of Iraq to reach merchants’ remittances throughout the world.”

Al-Kadhimi pointed out that “remittances issued by the Central Bank of Iraq to merchants to import goods continue despite American pressure.”

Member of Parliamentary Finance, Mustafa Sanad, had previously confirmed that America is leading colonialism and international blackmail against Iraq by causing an increase in the dollar exchange rate, criticizing the silence of the political blocs regarding this. link

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CandyKisses:  The US Treasury Department reveals the secrets of its assistant visit to Iraq and its meeting with senior officials

Baghdad – Iraq Today: 2023/09/16 10:03

The US Treasury Department announced that Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Rosenberg discussed with Iraqi officials during her visit to Baghdad raising the level of the Iraqi banking sector to “international standards” and “preventing violations” of US sanctions.

US Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Combating the Financing of “Terrorism” and Financial Crimes, Elizabeth Rosenberg, visited Baghdad on September 12 and 13, and held meetings with Iraqi officials, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Central Bank Governor Ali Al-Alaq.

In a statement about the visit, the US Treasury Department noted that Elizabeth Rosenberg met with the prime minister and officials of the Central Bank, the Iraqi Economic Intelligence Unit, the Commercial Bank of Iraq and representatives of private banks.

Recognizing the challenges and future opportunities for the development of Iraq’s financial sector, the two sides “declared their commitment to continue working together and taking positive steps towards meaningful and long-term reforms, in order for Iraq to live up to international standards, and prevent falsity, sanctions violations, terrorist financing and other illegal acts,” she said.

Earlier, US State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said in a press interview that the US Treasury Department discussed with the Iraqi government the opportunities and challenges facing the financial sector in Iraq, and ways to develop the sector and raise it to the level of international standards.

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Tishwash:  Iraq is in the first quarter of the list of the most powerful and influential countries around the world

Iraq is ranked 50th globally and fourth in the Arab world in the most influential countries in the world, according to CEOWORLD magazine, which specializes in statistics.

The magazine stated in a report seen by Shafaq News Agency, “The United States topped the list of the most influential countries in the world in 2023, with 95.29 points, out of 195 included in the table, as it leads the world in the fields of science, sports, technology, etc., and the country is distinguished by the strongest economy.” And army in the world, China ranked second with 95.09 points, Russia came in third place with 94.26 points, India came in fourth place with 94.16 points, and then France came in fifth place with 94.15 points.

According to the magazine, Germany came in sixth place with 93.63 points, then the United Kingdom came in seventh place with 93.47 points, Japan came in eighth place with 93.38 points, Saudi Arabia came in ninth place with 93.12 points, and Italy came in tenth place in the most influential countries in the world with 92.84 points.

Grenada ranked at the bottom of the world’s least influential countries, ranking 195th globally with 45.74 points, preceded by the Comoros Islands, ranked 194th globally with 46.02 points, according to the statistics magazine.

In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia came in first place, the UAE came in second place and ranked 33rd globally with 88.36 points, Egypt came third in the world and ranked 41st in the world with 86.4 points, then Iraq came fourth and ranked 50th in the world with 83.1 points.

Qatar ranked fifth, ranked 55th, with 82.37 points, then Algeria came sixth, ranked 56th globally, with 82.28 points, then Kuwait, seventh, ranked 58th globally, with 82.05 points, Morocco eighth, ranked 61st globally, with 81.44 points, and Oman ninth, ranked 69th globally, 78.6 points. Jordan is tenth and ranked 91st globally with 72.96 points. link