New US envoy to Erbil meets with Kurdish leader for the first time

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United States has always respected the Kurdistan Region’s determination and perseverance, Washington’s new envoy to the regional capital of Erbil said on Sunday, according to a statement released by a top Kurdish leader.

The remarks by the newly-inaugurated US Consul General to the city Robert Palladino to Erbil came during his very first meeting with President Masoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and former president of the autonomous region of Iraq.

The US would like to see a “unified and strong Kurdistan Region,” the new American envoy said, adding that his country had always respected the Kurdistan Region’s will, according to a statement released from Barzani’s office directly after the meeting.

Palladino replaces Rob Waller, his predecessor, who leaves the post after serving since July 2020. Upon his departure, Waller wrote in an opinion piece that, “The Kurds can count on two friends: the mountains – and the United States of America.” 

Barzani and the new envoy discussed “coexistence, freedom, and equality” as values that are necessary cornerstones of stability and prosperity, the release added. 

The KDP president said he appreciated the works of the former head of the US mission, Waller, and wished his replacement a great deal of success.

Who is the new US Consul General to Erbil?

Palladino most recently served as chief of staff to the Deputy Secretary of State. Before that, he was the State Department’s deputy spokesperson, and before that, acting National Security Council spokesperson.

Read More: Meet the new US Consul General in Erbil: Robert Palladino

He is a career diplomat who has worked on key foreign policy and national security challenges across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

He has served in a variety of positions in the East Asian and Pacific Affairs bureau at the State Department in Washington, as well as overseas in China, Vietnam, and Italy. He speaks Chinese and Italian—and, pretty soon, Kurdish as well!

He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, the Washington & Lee University School of Law, and the US Army War College. Before joining the State Department, he practiced law in East Asia and Europe in the US Army’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps.

Editing by John J. Catherine

Laurie Mylroie contributed to this report