International
American Amb. in Albania Welcomes First Afghan Refugees in Tirana
United States Ambassador in Albania Yuri Kim welcomed the first group of 121 evacuees from Afghanistan in Tirana. Albanian government accepted the request from U.S. Government to temporary host these refugees.
“I am the American Ambassador in Albania, I am here with Foreign Minister of Albania and wanted to welcome you,” announced Kim while standing at the entrance of one of the aircrafts.
Albanian officials said the first group was made up of civil society activists and others, including children and 11 babies.
Great to welcome 2 more planes from Kabul carrying 154 Afghans, incl women of all professions, journalists, activists, children. Pleased to work w/@ediramaal @RepSlotkin @SpiritAmerica @VitalVoices @YaldaHakimFund @SchmidtFutures to bring people out of harm’s way. Thank you, 🇦🇱 ! pic.twitter.com/NfscCg0KZg
— Ambassador Yuri Kim (@USAmbAlbania) August 28, 2021
International
Iran and Iraq sign controversial five-year contract to continue export of natural gas
Despite the Biden administration having ‘strongly suggested’ that Iraqis find other ways solve their production problems, they have signed a new deal with Iran. Iraq’s ministry of electricity announced a finalized agreement on Wednesday, of which the Iran regime has signed a five-year contract to continue the export of natural gas for use in Iraq’s power generating plants.
Iraq will import up to 50 million cubic meters per day of the vital fuel; prior, Iraq had been procuring approximately half of that amount from Iranian suppliers, according to The Foreign Desk News.
The outlet notes this relationship between American adversaries has often brought criticism from Washington because the imports and their payments are subject to U.S. sanctions. The government in Baghdad must ask for waivers from the State Department to complete their purchases.
The Foreign Desk News goes on to explain:
Iran’s national gas company has been provisioning their neighbor for the last 10 years, as Iraq has long suffered domestic production problems due to corruption and inadequate infrastructure.
Most of the natural gas that Iraq imports is used to produce power for an unstable and maintenance-prone electrical grid. Service outages are common amid the country’s growing consumption and many residents frequently must rely on private generators during times of disruption.
Including the electricity that Iraq directly purchases from Iran, the Islamic republic is reported to be responsible for supplying nearly a quarter of the country’s total power use.
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