'Kurdistan has changed me': Outgoing US envoy
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In his farewell message on Tuesday, the outgoing US Consul General to Erbil said that the Kurdistan Region had changed him during his diplomatic posting.
Marking the end of his one-year posting, Robert Palladino posted a short letter on the official US Consulate General in Erbil Facebook page along with over 75 photos taken during his time in the Kurdistan Region.
"Looking back at this past year, Kurdistan has changed me," Palladino wrote in his letter before expressing his "deep affection" for Kurdish culture, cuisine, and hospitality.
He said that dolma and kufta were his two favorite traditional Kurdish dishes.
"The #Kurdistan_Region has come a long way over the past thirty years and there is much to be proud of," Palladino wrote.
He pledged that he would be an "advocate" in Washington for the Kurdistan Region. And, if he is asked to serve in a similar position again, he would be willing to do so.
"You have earned a lifelong friend in me," he wrote.
Palladino's successor will be inaugurated in early August. It did not reveal who his successor will be.
The outgoing diplomat was inaugurated in July 2021, replacing his predecessor Rob Waller.
Photos Palladino shared showed his trips to various resorts and historical sites in the Kurdistan Region and meetings he had with the Region's leaders and officials.
In his farewell meeting with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Palladino hailed the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) cooperation with the US consulate.
