TNT – “Tidbits From TNT” Friday Morning 12-15-2023

Tishwash:  Member of Parliamentary Investment: An economic forum in Iraq attended by giant foreign companies

Member of the Parliamentary Investment Committee, Asaad Al-Bazouni, stressed the country’s need for investment projects in economic development, agricultural, industrial, and health fields.

Al-Bazouni told {Al-Furat News} agency, “Basra is considered a good incubator for investment, especially foreign investment, as large foreign companies intend to invest in the province, and all of this requires security stability to attract investors.”

He stated that “the Ministry of Industry’s adoption of the Investment Partnerships Forum in the presence of investors and giant foreign companies is considered a good step with the presence of the security, investment and environmental incubator.”  link

CandyKisses:  Sudani: Economic reform is its gateway to financial and banking reform

Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani said on Thursday that: “Economic reform is its gateway to financial and banking reform,” while noting that “the government is committed to providing the dollar at the official price, and stressed its keenness to end the suffering of Kurdistan employees due to their salary delays,”

Al-Sudani said in a televised interview followed by “informed” that: “Conducting the population census is the first steps to implement Article 140 of the Constitution was postponed to 2024 after it was scheduled to be held this year because of the provincial council elections,” pointing out that “it is time to raise the outstanding problems between Baghdad and Erbil, which lies at the border and budget ports.”

He added, “We went to borrow from the Ministry of Finance to pay the salaries of the employees of the Kurdistan region and we are with finding a solution with a legal amendment that considers the employees of the Kurdistan region like the rest of Iraq’s employees,” stressing that “the government is keen to end the suffering of the crisis of the salaries of Kurdistan employees.”

On the other hand, “economic reform is its gateway to financial and banking reform and the issue of the exchange rate requires this reform and we are committed to providing the dollar at the official rate to traders, investors, contractors, students and travelers.”

He pointed out that “95 percent of our trade now passes through the electronic platform and there are those who circumvent the law and buy the dollar at the parallel price because he does not want to implement legal procedures.”

“We will not accept that the official dollar rate is equal to the parallel rate because it encourages smuggling,” he stressed. On foreign trade, Al-Sudani said: “There is no problem for the Iranian side in dealing with trade with Iraq in dinars or toman.”

“The problem of commercial transfers to Turkey has been solved by opening accounts in Turkish lira,” he continued. He stressed that “food prices have remained stable, despite the attempt of manipulators to speculate on the price of the dollar.”

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CandyKisses:  Electoral silence comes into effect in preparation for local elections in Iraq

Baghdad today – Baghdad 

The period of electoral silence entered into force today, Friday (December 15, 2023), in preparation for the start of the voting process for the governorate council elections.

The special voting elections will be for “military personnel.” On Saturday, December 16, therefore, the electoral silence began today, Friday, at six in the morning and will end with the closing of the last voting box on December 18 in the general vote.

Electoral silence is a period determined by law that precedes every presidential or parliamentary election, during which the practice of political propaganda is prohibited, during which all independent and coalition parties and lists are prohibited from engaging in any activity within the framework of their electoral campaign, and during which candidates are strictly prohibited from carrying out any operation that falls within the framework of promotion, propaganda, and gaining favor. Voters.

The Electoral Commission confirms that failure to abide by electoral silence is considered a violation of electoral propaganda and falls under the concept of violation of electoral propaganda and therefore will bear legal responsibility and the penalty resulting from this violation is subject to the discretion of the Council.

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Tishwash:  Al-Sudani: The Iranian side has no problem in dealing commercially with Iraq using dinars or tomans

Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani said today, Thursday, that: “Economic reform begins with the financial and banking sectors,” while noting that “the government is committed to providing the dollar at the official rate,” and stressed that “there is no problem on the Iranian side in dealing commercially with Iraq in dinars.” Or toman.

Al-Sudani said in a televised interview followed by “Al-Mutala’” that: “Conducting the population census, the first step in implementing Article 140 of the Constitution, was postponed to May 2024 after it was scheduled to be conducted this year due to the governorate council elections,” pointing out that “the time has come to lift the census.”

The outstanding problems between Baghdad and Erbil lie in the border crossings and the budget.” He added, “We went to borrow from the Ministry of Finance to pay the salaries of the employees of the Kurdistan region, and we are in favor of finding a solution with a legal amendment that considers the employees of the Kurdistan region as equal to the rest of the employees of Iraq,” stressing, “The government is keen to end the suffering of the Kurdistan employees’ salaries crisis.” On the other hand, he stressed, “Economic reform is the gateway to financial and banking reform, and the issue of the exchange rate requires this reform. We are committed to providing the dollar at the official rate to merchants, investors, contractors, students, and travelers.

” He pointed out, “95 percent of our trade now passes through the electronic platform, and there are those who circumvent the law and buy the dollar at the parallel price because they do not want to apply legal procedures.” He stressed, “We will not accept that the official price of the dollar be equal to the parallel price, because that would encourage smuggling.” Regarding foreign trade, Al-Sudani said: “The Iranian side has no problem in dealing commercially with Iraq in the dinar or toman currencies.”

He continued: “The problem of commercial transfers to Turkey has been solved by opening accounts in the Turkish lira.” He stressed that “food prices remained stable, despite the attempts of manipulators to speculate on the price of the dollar.”  link