US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday that there is plenty of opportunity for the US and Iraqi Kurdistan to co-operate on oil and gas development.
Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani is in Washington to sign two agreements, with US companies HKN Energy and WesternZagros, worth a combined $110 billion over their lifetimes.
But the deals have drawn a quick condemnation from Baghdad's Oil Ministry, which considered them to be “null and void". Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil.
“I see great opportunity for American co-operation there as evidenced by the signing of these two deals, and we would love to see that commercial relationship grow and flourish,” Mr Wright told a conference in Washington.
Mr Barzani is due to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday to discuss expanding trade and investment between the US and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
“We support these deals, and we have encouraged Baghdad and Erbil to work together to get gas production to commence as soon as possible,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “At the same time, we have, of course, the declaration that these are null and void right now. This is the kind of shenanigans that can be a problem.”
Ms Bruce said Mr Barzani's visit to Washington “signals our desire to strengthen the US relationship with the Iraqi Kurdistan region".
An Iraqi Oil Ministry official told Reuters that the signing of the agreements were conducted without Baghdad's knowledge and would impact efforts to resume the export of Kurdistan regional oil.
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Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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