Officials gather at economic conference
An economic conference was held on Wednesday, August 20, for the seven northern Iraqi provinces. Attendees included Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, deputy Iraqi Prime Minister Rafh al-Isawi, several ministers of the Baghdad and Kurdistan Region governments, the governors of seven provinces, and several members of Iraqi Parliament.
The head of Suleimaniya province's council said his province successfully spent their annual budget on necessary projects and fairly distributed the budget to the province's towns and sub-districts.
But the province is facing a number of difficulties in implementing the projects, he added. The old working system is still used, resulting in a hike in construction material prices, and the companies doing the work have little skill or experience. Above all, Suleimaniya's annual budget is insufficient according to the province's size and population.
Kirkuk province Governor Abdul Rahman Mustafa strongly criticized Baghdad ministries for not coordinating and helping the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
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