Kurdistan Region President Meets U.S. Ambassador after Meetings with Iraqi Officials and before PM Sudani’s visit to Washington
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) –Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, met on Sunday in Baghdad with the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski.
Barzani’s Baghdad Meetings
The meeting came as Barzani traveled to Baghdad, where he met on Saturday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
Sudani is making his first visit to Washington shortly, and on April 15, he will meet, also for the first time, U.S. President Joe Biden.
Read More: Kurdistan Region President, Iraqi Premier discuss Erbil-Baghdad ties
Later on Saturday, Barzani attended a meeting of Iraq’s ruling State Administration Coalition, which discussed various issues, including Sudani’s upcoming visit to the U.S.
The following day, on Sunday, Barzani met with Iraqi President, Latif Abdul Rashid, a Kurd from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, as well as the U.S. ambassador.
Among the major issues in dispute between Baghdad and Erbil is Baghdad’s payment of the Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget, as well as the resumption of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
Those exports have been suspended for over a year, at the cost of over $7 billion.
Read More: US Ambassador Meets Iraqi Oil Minister ahead of Prime Minister’s Visit to Washington
Recently, the issue of Baghdad’s payment of salaries for civil servants in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was resolved, and Barzani hailed that as an “excellent first step.”
Barzani Meeting with Romanowski
The U.S. has pushed for improved ties between Baghdad and Erbil and, doubtless, the warm reception that Barzani received in Baghdad was intended to address Washington’s concerns ahead of Sudani’s visit.
Read More: U.S. Encourages Better Ties Between Baghdad and Erbil, including Resumption of KRG Oil Exports
In the meeting between the Kurdish President and U.S. Ambassador, they “reviewed the current political situation in Iraq, as well as relations between Erbil and Baghdad,” according to a read-out from Barzani’s office.
“The focus was on the agreement between the [KRG] and the Federal Government regarding salaries, Kurdistan’s internal situation, and the upcoming Kurdistan parliamentary elections,” it continued.
They “highlighted the importance of cooperation and coordination among Iraq’s political parties,” while they also discussed Barzani’s “meetings in Baghdad, US-Iraq relations, and the anticipated visit of the Iraqi Prime Minister to Washington.”