John McCain to Masrour Barzani: You can count on our friendship

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan24) – Masrour Barzani Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) met the leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday, at the end of a week-long visit to Washington.

Barzani spoke with Sen. John McCain, the Republican Chairman of the committee, along with Sen. Jack Reed, the Ranking Member of the Democratic party, in McCain’s Capitol Hill office.

McCain hailed the role of the Peshmerga in fighting the Islamic State (IS), “You've fought incredibly well,” he told Barzani.

McCain commented on the recent US decision to equip two more Peshmerga brigades, as he affirmed that it is one of the several steps that the US needs to take.

And the Senator assured Barzani, “You can count on the friendship and support from Congress.” 

They also spoke about fundamental issues that preceded the war against IS and the next chapter for Iraq, Barzani explained.

“We have chosen peaceful means to settle differences and shape future relations between Erbil and Baghdad,” he said.

This visit marked the Chancellor’s first trip to Washington under the new administration of Donald Trump. He was accompanied by President Massoud Barzani’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Fuad Hussein, who last visited Washington in March, as he represented the Kurdistan Region at a major conference of the anti-IS coalition, hosted by the State Department.

Ms. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the US, also attended the meeting.

Chancellor Barzani met last week with National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster and other senior White House officials, including Senior Advisor Jared Kushner and Tom Bossert, Homeland Security Advisor

McMaster recalled the evolution, since the early 1990s, of the warm relations between the US and the Kurdistan Region, as he told the delegation that he looked forward to building even closer ties in the future.

Barzani also held meetings last week at the State Department, which a senior official described as “very serious and constructive,” and the Pentagon.

Editing by Ava Homa