‘The Kurdistan Region is a strong friend and ally of the United States: US Ambassador

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani welcomed in his office the newly arrived US Ambassador to Iraq, Alina L. Romanowski, on Tuesday.

“In the meeting, we discussed the ways to improve relations between the Kurdistan Region and the United States,” Barzani wrote in a Facebook post. “We also discussed solving problems between the region and the federal government.”

Prime Minister Barzani reiterated to Romanowski that “the Kurdistan Region is always ready to solve the outstanding problems with Baghdad under the constitution, but Kurdistan Region is not ready to give up its constitutional rights at any circumstance.”

“We made it clear that the development of the Kurdistan Region is in the interest of all Iraqi citizens, while the federal government must support the prosperity of any Iraqi region, not create obstacles and problems,” said Barzani.

The US ambassador indicated that “the Kurdistan Region is a strong friend and ally of the United States,” and “she stressed the need to resolve the problems between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government based on the constitution.”

According to the US Embassy Baghdad website, “Romanowski, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, assumed her post as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq on June 2, 2022.  She served as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait from January 2020 to March 2022.”

“Before her Ambassadorial appointments, she served as the Department of State’s Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism (2016-2020), where she oversaw the coordination and integration of U.S. counterterrorism policy objectives and assistance programs with key international partners,” read her profile on the US Embassy Baghdad website.

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