U.S. Energy Envoy visits Baghdad, Erbil; Follows Up on Visits of Iraqi, Kurdish PMs to Washington
Pyatt "will discuss resuming Iraq’s oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline (ITP) to offset decreases in Russian oil exports to Europe,” the State Department said.
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, Geoffrey Pyatt, is traveling to Baghdad and Erbil.
His trip follows up on issues discussed during the visit to Washington in late February of Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG.)
Read More: U.S, KRG Hail ‘Long Partnership,’ as Blinken, Barzani Meet
That visit was followed by the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to Washington in mid-April.
The Biden administration arranged those two visits in that order, so it could understand the problems that the KRG has had in dealing with Iraq’s federal government and, thus, be better able to reconcile disputes between the two. It was the first time that a U.S. administration had done so.
The visits marked a new phase in the Biden administration’s approach to the Middle East. When it initially took office, it was focused on restoring the 2015 Iranian nuclear accord, which Donald Trump had left in 2018. But nothing came of the negotiations, and the administration came to see that Iran was not really interested. Indeed, it came to recognize that Tehran was allied with Russia, including in its war against Ukraine, and that it was a source of instability throughout the region.
Consequently, the administration shifted to a policy of “containing” Iran.
Read More: Biden: Need to Contain ‘Threat Posed by Iran’
That is the context for the current U.S. diplomacy in Baghdad and Erbil. For the Kurds, the most significant statement in the State Department announcement of Pyatt’s trip may well be the last sentence, “Pyatt will discuss resuming Iraq’s oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline (ITP) to offset decreases in Russian oil exports to Europe.”
Pyatt’s Trip: Promoting Energy Independence
Pyatt stopped in Jordan first on Wednesday, before meeting later that day with Sudani. He was accompanied by the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski.
One important U.S. objective during Sudani’s visit to Washington was to decrease Iraq’s dependence on Iran for energy supplies. Sudani was particularly impressed by a point made by U.S. officials concerning Iraq’s losses in regard to natural gas.
Iraq has to import large amounts of gas from Iran to produce electricity, and it regularly receives sanctions waivers from the U.S. to do so.
Washington would like those imports to end, particularly as Iraq has its own gas, which is produced in the course of pumping oil. But Iraq burns that gas, rather than using it.
That made a strong impression on Sudani. As he later noted, Iraq was wasting billions of dollars each year: $4 billion by flaring its own gas and another $6 billion by importing it.
Of course, Iran does not want Iraq’s imports of its gas to end, and one aspect of Tehran’s response to Sudani’s visit was to attack the Khor Mor gas field in the Kurdistan Region.
Read More: Exclusive: Surveillance footage reveals dramatic drone attack on Khor Mor gas field
As the State Department’s announcement of Pyatt’s trip explained, while in Baghdad, Pyatt would “meet with companies and government officials to discuss improving the efficiency of natural gas utilization and forging a roadmap to end environmentally harmful methane venting and flaring.”
After meeting with Sudani, Pyatt tweeted his thanks to the Iraqi prime minister for his “warm welcome” and “generous hospitality.”
Thank you @MohamedShia Prime Minister Sudani for your warm welcome to 🇮🇶 and generous hospitality. I appreciate the opportunity to build on your April visit to 🇺🇸 to further enhance our energy partnership. https://t.co/YvN4NPk4t9
— Assistant Secretary Geoffrey Pyatt (@AsstSecENR) May 15, 2024
Following his discussions in Baghdad, as the State Department announcement on Wednesday explained, “Pyatt will then travel to Erbil to engage on ways to ensure that Iraq continues to attract foreign investment.”
“He will also meet with senior leaders in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) to advance opportunities to support Iraq’s clean energy transition and will discuss the important role IKR natural gas resources could play in support of Iraq’s energy autonomy.”
Significantly, the announcement concluded, “In both Erbil and Baghdad,” Pyatt “will discuss resuming Iraq’s oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline (ITP) to offset decreases in Russian oil exports to Europe.”
Pyatt’s trip follows that last week of Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya.
Zeya, too, was following up on issues raised during the visits of the Iraqi and Kurdish Prime Ministers. She traveled to Baghdad, Erbil, and Lalish, the spiritual center of the Yezidis. Significantly, she called for the “full implementation” of the 2020 Sinjar Agreement, as the KRG has long sought.
Read More: U.S. Calls for ‘Full Implementation’ of Sinjar Agreement
Thus, generally speaking, the greater involvement of the U.S. in Iraqi affairs, at least so far, has been of help to the KRG in dealing with the problems that it faces.