TNT – “Tidbits From TNT” Friday 4-12-2024

Tishwash:  Before the start of the new working hours and the timing system was disrupted…demands to extend the Eid holiday

 Today, Thursday (April 11, 2024), a number of citizens called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani to extend the Eid al-Fitr holiday to next Tuesday instead of Saturday, as it is an exceptional holiday for several reasons, including the coincidence that the date of the holiday coincides between the sects, as well as the start of the holiday. Implementing the new appointment system for ministries and institutions.

“Baghdad Today” monitored a group of appeals on social media sites demanding that the Eid al-Fitr holiday be extended to next Tuesday, while the government set the Eid holiday from last Tuesday, April 9, until Saturday, April 13, provided that official working hours will resume in government institutions. All, on Sunday, April 14, 2024.

It is hoped that all government departments and institutions will begin new working hours after the end of the Eid holiday, as the working hours of government departments and ministries in the Green Zone will be from seven to two in the afternoon.

The departments of education, interior, defense, and health will be from eight to three in the afternoon, and higher education, transportation, trade, and housing will be from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon.

 As for universities and colleges, the working hours will be from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon. The decision will begin to be implemented experimentally after the Eid and for a period of 3 months.  link

************

CandyKisses:  Al-Sudani says his meeting with Biden is “an opportunity to put the partnership between the two countries on a new basis.”

Shafaq News/ Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani considered, on Thursday, the meeting that he will have with President Joe Biden during his upcoming visit to the United States of America in mid-April “will be an opportunity to put the American-Iraqi partnership on a new and more sustainable basis.”

This was stated in an article published in “Farn Affairs” magazine, today’s issue.

“Our discussions will emphasize the continuing importance of our economic relations, cooperation in combating money laundering and terrorist financing, and the use of political and diplomatic tools to defuse regional tensions,” he wrote in his article.

He added, “The war against terrorism will remain a central topic for our governments,” adding, “We recognize and appreciate the critical role played by the United States and other members of the international coalition to combat ISIS in defeating terrorism.”

Al-Sudani added: This support has helped Iraq achieve stability, make great strides on the path to democracy, the rule of law, and ensure the government’s monopoly on the use of force.

He continued, “The time is right for our relationship to become broader, while recognizing the growing capabilities of our forces to defend Iraq and ensure the safety of its citizens – and to contribute in essential ways to building a prosperous and stable Iraq.”

The Iraqi Prime Minister concluded his article by saying that the relationship “in its new form, our partnership can represent a source of mutual benefit for both our countries, and a driving force for achieving stability in the Middle East.”

************

Tishwash:  Al-Sudani to American companies: The current stability in Iraq is encouraging for you to engage in development projects

 Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, called on American companies to work inside Iraq.

Al-Sudani said, the current stability in Iraq should encourage American companies to engage in important development projects in the fields of energy, communications, housing, health care, education, transportation, and others.

He added that it is also important that we combat corruption, which is the other side of terrorism, as its impact is no less devastating, and that we work to ensure that the people’s money is directed towards valuable goals, and that it is also imperative that we work to diversify our economy away from dependence on oil, even while we benefit from it. From our position as the second largest oil exporting country in OPEC (in addition to our possession of large reserves of natural gas)

Al-Sudani stated, “Our urgent need for American expertise and technology extends to clean energy and the green economy, as we seek to develop sustainable and renewable sectors,” adding that “the strategic framework agreement established the legal basis for these activities, and that by investing in them, it will enable us to put Iraq in a position that helps it strengthen Its democracy, strengthening the state, and strengthening the rule of law, are the pillars that will allow us to restore Iraq to its historical brilliance  link

************

CandyKisses:  Iraq imports $70 billion last year from 11 countries

Baghdad – Iraq Today:

The “Iraq of the Future” Foundation for Economic Studies and Consultations announced that the country imported goods with a financial value of about 70 billion US dollars from 11 countries during the year 2023.

The institution said in a report published that it was based on the data of official customs authorities issued by the “most important” countries exporting various goods to Iraq, which are 11 countries.

The 11 countries are: UAE, China, Turkey, India, USA, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Korea, Germany, Japan and Iran.

According to the report, the total official imports of Iraq from these countries only in 2023 amounted to 67.25 billion US dollars, an increase of 6% compared to 2022, where the value of those countries’ exports to Iraq was 63.5 billion US dollars.

The report also indicated that the exports of countries to Iraq except Iran amounted to 58 billion US dollars, up by 2.8% compared to 2022, which was 56 billion US dollars.

The Foundation expected that the exports of other countries not mentioned in the report to Iraq will be worth 3-5 billion US dollars, and therefore the total exports of countries to Iraq in 2023 will be worth 71 billion US dollars.

The report noted that these imports, with the exception of Iran’s imports, need a daily purchase rate of hard currency of about 206 million US dollars, and if imports of services are added, which include (purchase of software, purchase of licenses, electronic services, etc.), which there is no clear statistics on their value, it is expected that the need today for dollars for external transfer (except for imports of Iran) reaches 225 million US dollars to cover all of Iraq’s needs of dollars for trade purposes only.