Baghdad: Sunday’s newspapers focused on Iraq’s signing of seven investment and development contracts worth more than $1.3 billion, in addition to ongoing preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Sabah reported that the Iraqi government, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), signed investment contracts totaling $1.32 billion during a ceremony held yesterday in Baghdad under the patronage of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. The event also marked the 20th anniversary of IFC’s presence and partnerships in Iraq.
In his speech, Al-Sudani highlighted the importance of such partnerships, praising the private sector’s effective role in reconstruction and development projects despite bureaucratic and security challenges. He added that government measures to improve the business environment have attracted global companies, raising the total value of Arab and foreign investments in the country to nearly $100 billion.
The Prime
Minister noted that the inflow of foreign capital has supported the stability of the national economy and encouraged other international financing institutions, including German, Italian, French, British, and Chinese organizations, to contribute to various projects. This was made possible through new legal and administrative frameworks and efforts to remove bureaucratic obstacles.
The signed contracts cover projects in associated gas investment, development of Umm Qasr port facilities, expansion of cement and lubricants production, financing equipment for container handling, establishing a green housing project in Sulaymaniyah, a trade finance credit line, as well as initiatives in agriculture and industry, and the construction of a teaching hospital. The total value of these investments amounts to over $1.3 billion.
Al-Zawraa newspaper, issued by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, followed up on preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections, quoting Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, Head of the S
upreme Security Committee for the 2025 elections, First Lieutenant General Qais Al-Muhammadi, as affirming that ‘all conditions are in place to hold the elections under stable security circumstances.’
A statement by the Joint Operations Command said that Al-Muhammadi chaired an expanded conference at the headquarters of Wasit Police Command to review ongoing preparations for securing the electoral process in the provinces of Wasit, Muthanna, and Diwaniyah.
The statement added that the conference was attended by a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), the Deputy Minister of Interior for Intelligence Affairs, senior officers from Joint Operations Command, police commanders of the three provinces, representatives of security services, Popular Mobilization commanders, and heads of IHEC offices in those provinces.
Al-Muhammadi listened to detailed briefings from provincial police commanders on security preparations and related plans, stressing the importance o
f providing a safe and suitable environment for all voters. He underlined that ‘the security plan must be highly flexible to allow all Iraqis across the provinces to reach polling centers without obstruction, while completing all supporting measures, including civil defense and media efforts.’
He further emphasized that the security forces ‘stand at an equal distance from all parties,’ directing that no security personnel should appear in media outlets alongside electoral candidates, in order to safeguard the neutrality of the security establishment.
The Deputy Commander of Joint Operations concluded the conference with a set of recommendations aimed at ensuring the success of the upcoming elections.