Prime Minister Barzani And Barrack Speaking on Phone, Back A Strong and United KRG

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Monday evening that he spoke by phone with US envoy Tom Barrack after his visit to Baghdad. He Also added that they agreed on the importance of a strong and united Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and of resolving its problems with the federal government on the basis of the constitution.

Barzani wrote on X that he was happy to speak with the ambassador, and that both sides welcomed progress in Monday’s talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and his government on the federal budget law.

I was pleased to speak with @USAMBTurkiye Tom Barrack tonight following my visit to Baghdad. We agreed that the KRG must remain strong and unified, and that our disputes with the federal government must be resolved in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution. To that end, we both welcomed today's progress with Prime Minister @AliFalihAlzaidy and his team on the federal budget law, and we look forward to finalizing an agreement on oil and gas. During the call, we also reaffirmed the already strong KRG-U.S. partnership -mb.

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) November 9, 2026

Barzani said he hopes an oil and gas agreement will be reached as soon as possible, and that in the call they stressed the strong partnership between the KRG and the United States. He did not give details of what was agreed on the budget or the oil and gas file.

Barzani met al-Zaidi in Baghdad on Monday, and al-Zaidi’s office said they agreed to work out ways to settle disputes under the constitution, including the Region’s budget share, management of oil fields, oil and non-oil revenue, salaries and the oil and gas law, which they said should be passed quickly.

Barrack praised the talks on X, writing that direct Baghdad-Erbil talks are how hard issues like oil exports, salaries and revenue get solved, according to Iraqi media. Barrack has often been in contact with the KRG prime minister, including a call in March in which he thanked Barzani for his readiness to help resume oil exports through Türkiye.

Unity for a strong KRG is a critical component of a strong and stable Iraq.

— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) November 9, 2026

No agreement has yet been announced on the Region’s 2027 budget share, with Baghdad proposing 12.67 percent and a 450,000 barrel condition on oil exports, and the KRG asking for 14.14 percent, and the Iraqi cabinet is due to take up the draft on Tuesday.

Barzani’s call for a strong and united KRG comes after the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said on Thursday that it is quitting the KRG, and after President Masoud Barzani asked it on Monday to sit down with the KDP to end the Region’s political crisis.