US reiterates support to Kurdistan Region, constitutional rights, diplomat tells PM Barzani
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A senior US diplomat on Wednesday reiterated her country’s support to the Kurdistan Region in a meeting with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, according to a KRG statement.
Prime Minister Barzani received Victoria Nuland, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs of the United States, in Erbil along with her accompanying delegation, including US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski.
I was pleased to see @UnderSecStateP.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) December 20, 2023
I explained that the spirit of the constitution must be respected and the rights stipulated must be fully implemented for every citizen, including the people of the Kurdistan Region.
Violation of rights risks divisions and uncertainty. pic.twitter.com/npPkcWDtj4
Barzani and Nuland stressed the importance of resolving the outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government, according to a statement from the premier’s office.
They agreed that the federal government should respect the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional rights and not treat its citizens as “second class”, per the statement.
Barzani stressed the importance of strengthening the federal system and democratic principles in the country.
The US official reiterated her country’s support for the Kurdistan Region and its constitutional rights within Iraq, according to the press release.
The officials also discussed the “culture of coexistence, religious freedom, safeguarding human rights and the rights of components,” it added.
Erbil and Baghdad relations have been shaped by numerous issues for over a decade, including the management of oil and gas, disputed territories, the Kurdish share in the federal budget as well and the compensation of the victims of genocides in the Kurdistan Region by Baghdad.
The KRG is willing to resolve the outstanding issues based on the Iraqi constitution and political agreements that are reached to form government cabinets, according to Kurdish officials.
