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Pressure to Open Borders for Pilgrims despite Pandemic

By Hassan Ali Ahmed, for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq under pressure to open borders for Shiite pilgrims despite pandemic

While the Iraqi government attempts to prevent the spread of the delta variant from Iran, there is internal and external pressure to open its borders for Shiite pilgrims to visit the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf.

Click here to read the full article.

The post Pressure to Open Borders for Pilgrims despite Pandemic first appeared on Iraq Business News.

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Al-Kadhemi opens new Medical Center in Najaf

By John Lee.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi has opened the new Al-Shifa Medical Center 13 at Al-Kindi Hospital in Najaf.

The new facility is built on an area of two thousand square meters, with capacity of 120 beds, including 48 beds for intensive care.

It has beds for dialysis and an integrated oxygen system, in addition to x-ray and sonar rooms, laboratory and other services.

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

The post Al-Kadhemi opens new Medical Center in Najaf first appeared on Iraq Business News.

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Indian Firm Wins $37m Seismic Contract in Iraq

By John Lee.

Indian-based Asian Oilfield Services Limited has announced that it has won orders totalling $37 million in Iraq.

The orders relate to seismic acquisition at Block 12, with $12 million for a 2D survey and $25 million for a 3D survey.

Block 12, located in the Najaf and Muthanna provinces, is being developed by Russia’s Rosneft, and PetroVietnam.

According to a statement issued to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the order is to be executed within FY20 and FY21.

The company has previously carried out 3D surveys at the Shakal block and Taza block in Iraqi Kurdistan.

(Source: Asian Oilfield Services)

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Investment Opportunities: Imam Sadiq Hospital and Najaf Hospital

The Ministry of Health/Environment and the National Investment Commission (NIC) in coordination with Babil Governorate and Najaf Governorate are pleased to announce the investment opportunity of {Operating, managing and sustaining} of Imam Sadiq Hospital in Babil  and Najaf Hospital in Najaf according to investment law no. (13) for the year 2006, as amended.

Investors, companies and specialized sides are invited to submit their offers (commercial and technical offers providing that they include their vision of improving the medical services and scaling up performance on servicing and training the staff according to the standards approved by the Ministry of health with attaching the feasibility study knowing that all the above mentioned points shall be taken into consideration in evaluating the submitted offers) to the Contracts Section in the Ministry of Health and the National Investment Commission within (60) days from the date of publishing the announcement.

For any further information or fixing a date to visit the hospitals, please contact the following numbers:

  • 07822668818/ Dr. Nawras – DG – Ministry of health
  • 07823527029/ Dr. Adel –Manager of Imam Sadiq hospital
  • Or to send email to : healthit.2017@gmail.com
  • Please visit the Contracts section in the Ministry of Health to receive the investment profile

(Source: National Investment Commission)

Posted on

Investment Opportunities: Imam Sadiq Hospital and Najaf Hospital

The Ministry of Health/Environment and the National Investment Commission (NIC) in coordination with Babil Governorate and Najaf Governorate are pleased to announce the investment opportunity of {Operating, managing and sustaining} of Imam Sadiq Hospital in Babil  and Najaf Hospital in Najaf according to investment law no. (13) for the year 2006, as amended.

Investors, companies and specialized sides are invited to submit their offers (commercial and technical offers providing that they include their vision of improving the medical services and scaling up performance on servicing and training the staff according to the standards approved by the Ministry of health with attaching the feasibility study knowing that all the above mentioned points shall be taken into consideration in evaluating the submitted offers) to the Contracts Section in the Ministry of Health and the National Investment Commission within (60) days from the date of publishing the announcement.

For any further information or fixing a date to visit the hospitals, please contact the following numbers:

  • 07822668818/ Dr. Nawras – DG – Ministry of health
  • 07823527029/ Dr. Adel –Manager of Imam Sadiq hospital
  • Or to send email to : healthit.2017@gmail.com
  • Please visit the Contracts section in the Ministry of Health to receive the investment profile

(Source: National Investment Commission)

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Will Iraqi-Saudi Rapprochement Undermine Iran’s Role in Iraq?

By Mustafa Saadoun for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. 

Iraqi-Saudi relations have witnessed significant improvement after years of boycott that had worsened during Nouri al-Maliki’s rule between 2006 and 2014. On Oct. 22, the establishment of a Coordination Council between the two countries was announced.

Iran, which is seeking to expand its influence in Iraq, might not like this rapprochement, especially following the latest meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud that took place with US blessing when US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended the launching of the Coordination Council.

Former Iraqi Ambassador to the US Lukman Faily told Al-Monitor, “Over the past years, the US attempted to take serious steps to mend ties between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. With this development, the region’s geopolitics will change.”

Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported that the Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement will “curb the appetite of the parties that cause stability,” in a clear reference to Iran, which Saudi Arabia always accuses of “destabilizing the situation in the region.”

The results of the US-brokered Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement started appearing when Tillerson asked Iranian militias to leave Iraq, saying that the Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement will “counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside of Iraq.”

Hashem al-Haboubi, the deputy secretary general of the Iraqi National Accord movement spearheaded by Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi, told Asharq al-Awsat that the Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement might help Iraq break free from Iranian control.

The Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement does not include the Iraqi state in its explicit form only, but also expands to political parties that are at odds with Iran such as the Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr, who visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates two months ago and headed to Jordan recently to visit King Abdullah.