Veteran Politician Hails PM Barzani’s US Visit as Milestone in Kurdish Diplomacy
He also emphasized the importance of major economic agreements reached during the visit, particularly contracts with U.S. companies valued at approximately $110 billion.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Omar Sheikhmous, a veteran Kurdish politician and renowned academic, praised Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s recent visit to the United States as a landmark achievement for Kurdish diplomacy.
Speaking to Kurdistan24, Sheikhmous said the visit was marked by high-level engagements, including meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several influential members of Congress and the Senate.
“Prime Minister Barzani's media interview with Fox News added political and diplomatic weight to the Kurdistan Region,” Sheikhmous noted, highlighting the global attention brought by the prime-time platform.
He also emphasized the importance of major economic agreements reached during the visit, particularly contracts with U.S. companies valued at approximately $110 billion. “These deals greatly enhance the strength and capacity of the Kurdistan Region,” he said. “What is important to me is that the contract is official, legal, and in accordance with the Iraqi constitution.”
Sheikhmous, born in 1942 in Syrian Kurdistan, is a respected figure in Kurdish politics and academia. After studying international affairs in London and political science in Stockholm, he became one of the founding leaders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) resistance movement in the 1970s. He served as head of the party's Foreign Relations Committee and later advised former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani from 2005 to 2014.
Though retired from active politics, Sheikhmous remains an influential voice on Kurdish affairs and continues to contribute to Kurdish studies.
Barzani's U.S. visit is widely viewed as an important step in strengthening the Kurdistan Region's international partnerships and economic prospects.