Tishwash: In a meeting with Al-Sudani, Oman offers a digital partnership to Iraq.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani received today, Thursday, the Omani Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, Saeed bin Hamoud al-Maawali.
According to a statement from his office, a copy of which was received by {Euphrates News}, Al-Sudani welcomed the Omani minister and sent his greetings to the Sultan of Oman.
Al-Sudani pointed out that “the level of development, employment, and investment in Iraq, including the telecommunications sector, has advanced and improved, thanks to the political, security, and social stability the country is witnessing, as well as the economic renaissance,” stressing that “the many commonalities between Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman provide an opportunity to develop economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.”
For his part, Al-Maawali praised Iraq’s achievements on various fronts, reviewing “the results of his discussions in Baghdad,” and affirming “the readiness of his country’s public and private sectors to cooperate with Iraq in the field of the digital economy and digital government.”
Al-Maawali also expressed his country’s “readiness to cooperate in the ports and airports sectors by investing in projects related to various Iraqi airports.” link
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Tishwash: What are the consequences of basing the budget on an oil price of $55?
Economic analyst Abdul Rahman al-Mashhadani warned on Thursday of the repercussions of basing the oil price at $55 per barrel on the general budget law. He noted that this measure will lead to a financial deficit exceeding 80 trillion dinars, threatening a stifling economic crisis in the country.
Al-Mashhadani told Al-Maalouma, “Adopting a price of $55 per barrel in the budget is unrealistic in light of the ongoing fluctuations in global markets, and could result in a huge financial deficit that would exacerbate Iraq’s economic and financial crises.”
He added, “Some experts believe that reducing the price of oil to $55 per barrel could increase the fiscal deficit, reflecting the inaccuracy of this budgeting mechanism.” He emphasized that “continuing this approach could lead Iraq to a real economic catastrophe.”
Al-Mashhadani pointed out that “the only solution lies in the government’s deliberate reduction of operating and investment expenditures and its efforts to diversify sources of income instead of relying entirely on oil revenues.” He called for “the development of a comprehensive economic reform plan that relies on the private sector, agriculture, industry, and tourism as alternative and sustainable sources.”
A number of experts suggested that calculating the price of a barrel of oil at $55 is the most appropriate option to address the current financial crisis, given the realism it provides in the estimates and the avoidance of falling into a larger budget deficit. link
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Tishwash: A budget hanging on an oil thread.. The cost per barrel reveals the depth of the rift between Baghdad and Erbil.
Member of the Oil and Gas Committee, MP Ali Shaddad, confirmed today, Friday (April 18, 2025), that Article (12) of the Triennial Budget Law represents one of the most prominent reasons for the delay in sending the 2025 budget tables to the House of Representatives, explaining that it sparked a sharp dispute between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Shaddad’s media office said in a statement received by “Baghdad Today”, that “the budget schedules for the year 2025, which the government is supposed to send to the House of Representatives for approval, may be delayed due to the lack of agreement on Article (12) of the Triennial Budget Law, in addition to the decline in oil prices.”
He added that “the decline in oil prices will contribute to the exacerbation of the financial deficit in the budget,” indicating that “the latter was built on the basis of an estimated price per barrel of (70) dollars, which is no longer realistic in light of the decline in prices, in addition to the accumulated deficit from the past two years.”
Shaddad continued, “The government is concerned about the financial obligations that may be imposed by the budget schedules,” noting that “the latter has announced on more than one occasion that it is suffering from a severe shortage of financial liquidity.”
He stressed that “this shortage will not affect the salaries of employees and retirees, but it may lead to delays in the disbursement of certain financial dues, such as bonuses and promotions, as well as delays in the release of governorate budgets.” link
