TNT – “Tidbits From TNT” Saturday Morning 12-14-2024

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Tishwash:  Central Bank Governor: Opening external channels with foreign currencies eliminates the black market

Central Bank Governor Ali Al-Alaq confirmed on Thursday that opening channels in foreign and Arab currencies achieves stability in the exchange rate and gradually eliminates the black market.

The media advisor of the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI), Aqeel Al-Shuwaili, said in a statement, which was reviewed by “Al-Eqtisad News”, that “the governor of the Central Bank visited the Trade Bank of Iraq and appreciated the bank’s efforts to expand its customer base of importing merchants and the procedures to facilitate their transactions in a way that contributes to achieving stability in the exchange market.”

According to the statement, the governor of the Central Bank stressed “the need to make efforts to achieve fluidity and provide the best banking services to the bank’s customers.”

The governor pointed out that “the Central Bank’s continued opening of multiple external channels in foreign and Arab currencies achieves continuous stability in the exchange rate and gradually eliminates the black market link

Tishwash:  An “unannounced” visit and a surprise landing in Baghdad.. Blinken to Al-Sudani: We are committed to supporting Iraq

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Friday, during which he met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and held talks with him about the future of Syria.

According to Reuters, Blinken is

Reuters quoted the US State Department as saying that “Blinken stressed from Baghdad the US commitment to the US-Iraqi strategic partnership and to Iraq’s security, stability and sovereignty.”

She added that the Secretary also discussed regional security opportunities and challenges, as well as continued U.S. support for engagement with all communities in Syria to create a comprehensive transition.

According to Reuters, Blinken’s visit was not announced until after he met with Al-Sudani on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s media office confirmed that Al-Sudani and Blinken discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, ways to enhance joint cooperation, as well as discussing the situation in the region, developments in the current events in Syria, and the regional and international efforts required to enhance security in Syria and the stability of the entire region.

Al-Sudani renewed, according to a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, support for Syria in this important stage, and the importance of friendly countries helping the Syrians rebuild their country and confront the challenges that may affect civil peace in it, stressing the necessity of representing all components of the Syrian people in the administration of the country to ensure enhancing its stability. He also stressed that Iraq is waiting for actions, not words, from those in charge of managing the transitional phase in Syria.

The Iraqi Prime Minister stressed the need not to allow any aggression on Syrian territory, from any party, because this represents a threat to security and stability in the region.

For his part, the US Secretary of State stressed, according to the Iraqi statement, Washington and Baghdad’s agreement on the necessity of respecting the choices of the Syrian people, and working to form a comprehensive government that reflects the will of the Syrian people and the diversity of its components.

Blinken referred to the pivotal role of Iraq, and stressed that it represents a key partner in the region, and the importance of consulting with it on the current developments witnessed in the region, and that the members of the international coalition are committed to the security, sovereignty and stability of Iraq  link

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Tishwash:  After the events in Syria… Will Iraq witness a new economic phase?

Iraq is suffering from major economic challenges due to political and military crises in some surrounding countries, but the impact of these crises on the Iraqi economy is still somewhat limited, while observers expect that there will be an expected economic change in Iraq, but it will be within a period of difficult and difficult labor in light of the harsh political crises that are sweeping the new Middle East.

In this regard, economic expert Ahmed Fouad told Iraq Observer that “Iraq enjoys stable financial flows and strong international trade relations,” indicating that “the tensions in Syria, including the recent events and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, will not fundamentally affect the Iraqi economy, which relies on central economic policies and strong oil revenues.”

He added, “The economic change that will occur in Iraq will be a reflection of the confusing political situation in the region, especially after the recent events in Syria.”

Fouad expressed his hope that “there will be a positive economic change that creates an equal and just economic system based on capitalism and a free economy.”

The economic expert called for “the need to work on directing this change in a correct and fair manner that guarantees integrity and success for the Iraqi economy and state. The Iraqi government must also develop an effective emergency plan to ensure the continued supply of basic commodities to the market, such as food and supplies. Despite the concerns that some may raise about importing goods from neighboring countries, Iraq has the ability to compensate for any shortage in materials through other markets such as Turkey, Iran, and the Gulf states.”

He added that “the Iraqi economy is immune to regional tensions, noting that central economic policies and stable oil revenues give Iraq great ability to confront any fluctuations.”

Regarding the future of the Iraqi economy if wars continue in the region, the economic expert stressed that “the effects of the current crises on the Iraqi economy remain relative, noting that their impact on the movement of internal and external trade will be limited if the situation is dealt with cautiously and a flexible economic policy is followed. He added that the political crisis in some neighboring countries may give Iraq an opportunity to increase its imports from other countries and open new markets.”  link