Kurdistan Region President Receives Letter from US Secretary of State, as ties between Erbil and Baghdad warm

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) –The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, received a letter from the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, following their meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last month.

Read More: US Secretary of State meets President of Kurdistan Region on sidelines of Munich Conference

Secretary Blinken expressed appreciation for his conversation with the Kurdish President at the Munich event, according to a press release from the President’s office published on Tuesday. 

As Blinken’s letter made clear, cultivating cooperative relations between Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is a key issue for Washington.

Blinken’s letter to President Barzani characterized their discussion in Germany as “an opportunity to underscore the need to completely resolve the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad through dialogue and understanding,” the President’s press release said.

The letter appeared to arrive, just as such relations seem to be developing.

In his letter, Blinken also reiterated the U.S. “commitment to strong cooperation and partnership with the federal Republic of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region” and “expressed his country’s continued solid support for Iraq’s stability, security, and sovereignty.”

Major Steps in Advancing Erbil-Baghdad Cooperation

Blinken’s letter came as the KRG and the federal government have reached several understandings that reflect, and promote, improved ties between the two sides. 

On February 12 and 19, KRG delegations visited Baghdad and agreed to form a joint committee to draft a new oil and gas law in order to resolve issues raised by Baghdad’s Federal Supreme Court regarding oil exports from the Kurdistan Region. 

Read More: Joint committee formed to prepare hydrocarbon law: KRG

The results of the visits were welcomed by U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Alina Romanowski. Read More: US encouraged by KRG’s recent visit to Baghdad, says top diplomat

A week later, on February 26, another KRG delegation visiting Baghdad reached a preliminary agreement with federal officials on the 2023 budget. Read More: Erbil and Baghdad reach a preliminary agreement on 2023 budget

In fact, the new Iraqi government approved a three-year budget to help ensure a more stable economic environment, and sent the budget proposal to parliament for its approval.

As Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, explained, “We will end the process that disrupts all development and construction efforts, as ministries are usually paralyzed before the end of the fiscal year.”

Read More: Iraq seeks fiscal stability with 3-year budget

As the KRG Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, noted, this was the first time that the Kurdistan Region was included in the preparation of the federal budget for Iraq. 

Following this significant progress, Sudani paid his first visit to Erbil, where he met the Kurdish leadership, including the KRG Prime Minister, and the President of the Kurdistan Region, as well as Masoud Barzani, who, as head of the largest Kurdish party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), played a key role in securing Sudani’s election victory.

Read More: Iraqi PM-designate lauds Masoud Barzani—underscoring importance of KDP in Iraqi politics

One can well imagine that these conciliatory steps between Baghdad and Erbil were encouraged by the U.S., and Blinken’s letter was meant to underscore their importance to Washington. 

Sudani is participating at the American University of Iraq Sulaimani (AUIS) Suli Forum on Wednesday.