Iraq asks industries in Kurdistan to register in Baghdad as part of punitive measures
Iraq has carried out a new collective punitive measure against Kurdistan, asking businesspersons and investors to register in Baghdad before they can operate in the Region, a Kurdish official said.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq has carried out a new collective punitive measure against Kurdistan, asking businesspersons and investors to register in Baghdad before they can operate in the Region, a Kurdish official said on Saturday.
The Federal Government of Iraq has officially requested from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that all factories, industries, and businesspeople register in Baghdad before they can invest and send their products to provinces that are under the Iraqi government’s direct administration, Abdulrazzaq Othman Nawandee, the Director General of Divan at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, told Kurdistan 24.
He mentioned that Baghdad had referred to an Iraqi law issued in 1998 to validate the punitive measure against the Kurdistan Region.
“Businessmen and factory owners in Kurdistan are forced to send a supporting letter from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to Baghdad,” Nawandee explained. “After a long, delayed routine, the Iraqi government processes their documents.”
He added that only after this procedure are businesses allowed to operate in other parts of Iraq besides the Kurdistan Region.
Analysts believe the decision is part of the collective punitive measures taken by Baghdad against the Region to reduce the KRG’s authority following the Sep. 25 independence referendum.
Since the historic vote, ties between Erbil and Baghdad have considerably deteriorated as the Iraqi government has enforced disciplinary measures against Kurdistan.
The embargo includes the banning of international flights to and from both Erbil and Sulaimani airports as well as a military operation on Oct. 16 to take over the oil-rich Kirkuk Province and other disputed territories that have been under the protection of Kurdish Peshmerga over the past years.
The KRG has repeatedly called on the Federal Government of Iraq that their disputes can only be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, but talks are yet to begin.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany