US ambassador: Kurdistan Region will be part of “strategic dialogue” with Iraq
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The US ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, assured Kurdish Prime Minister Masoud Barzani on Tuesday that the Kurdistan Region will be involved in the “strategic dialogue” between the US and Iraq, scheduled to be held later this month in Washington DC.
In a meeting in Erbil, Tueller informed Barzani that "the Kurdistan Region will participate in, and will be part of it,” a statement posted to the website of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) explained.
Such participation has been a request from the KRG to the US, and in his meeting with Tueller, Barzani stressed its importance, emphasizing that the results of the strategic dialogue must ensure the rights of all the components in Iraq and serve their “best interests.”
In their meeting, Barzani and Tueller also discussed, more broadly, the latest developments in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and “ways to strengthen ties between the Kurdistan Region and the United States," the KRG statement also said.
Tueller explained that the US was “doing everything possible to aid Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, especially in overcoming the current difficult economic circumstance as a result of the coronavirus.”
Washington first announced the strategic dialogue with Iraq in April, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists that the discussions would cover “all strategic issues between our two countries” and would include “the future presence of the United States forces,” as well as “how best to support an independent and sovereign Iraq.”
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The planned meetings in Washington follow the consolidation of Coalition forces into three main bases in Iraq, one of which is Erbil Air Base, as well as the formation of a new Iraqi government under the leadership of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
The Iraqi parliament approved Kadhimi’s cabinet on May 6, ending five months of political stalemate in Baghdad, following the resignation of the previous prime minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi in November. Washington responded by offering Kadhimi a warm welcome in his new position.
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In announcing the planned strategic dialogue with Iraq, Pompeo explained, “It’s important that our two governments work together to stop any reversal of the gains we’ve made in our efforts to defeat ISIS and stabilize the country.”
Officials expect that the US-Iraqi strategic dialogue will lead to a new agreement between the two sides, at a time when Iraq’s need for international support appears greater than ever, amid a severe economic crisis that has struck the country, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and significantly lower oil prices that stem largely from the global slowdown in economic activity, as countries around the world imposed lockdowns in order to combat the spread of the disease.
It is expected that the dialogue will tackle several issues, most notably military and security coordination, the future of the US presence in Iraq, the training and equipping of Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, as well as US economic support for the country.
Editing by Laurie Mylroie