Kurdistan delegation led by KRSC head to visit Washington, meet US officials

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani is expected to fly to Washington, DC this week to hold a set of meetings with US officials.

Chancellor Barzani will be accompanied by the chief of staff of the Kurdistan Region Presidency (KRP) Fuad Hussein.

The delegation, along with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative in the US Bayan Sami Abdulrahman, will meet with US officials from the White House, the Departments of State and Defense, and Congress.

The Kurdish officials will address a variety of issues, including the current situation in the Kurdistan Region, future relations between Kurdistan, Iraq, and the US, and the independence referendum.

On Tuesday, Chancellor Barzani will attend a seminar hosted by the Heritage Foundation to discuss “Iraq After ISIS is Defeated in Mosul: A View From Kurdistan” as an important figure in the US-led Global Coalition campaign against the Islamic State (IS).

According to a KRSC press release, the visit reflects “the strong ties between the people of the Kurdistan Region and the United States.”

“Chancellor Barzani will discuss the importance of continued US military and political support to the Kurdistan Region and its Peshmerga forces,” the report continued.

“The visit is an opportunity to review measures to strengthen the already strong partnership and advance common interests,” the press release informed.

The KRSC leader also visited Washington, DC in December 2016 and met with US members of Congress.

In a panel held at the Wilson Center, the Kurdish Chancellor discussed the topic of governance and security in post-IS Iraq.

Editing by G.H. Renaud and Karzan Sulaivany