PM Masrour Barzani meets US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) – Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday met with Barbara Leaf, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

Both sides discussed means of further developing relations between the Kurdistan Region and the US, as well as the latest developments in Iraq and the wider region.

Prime Minister Barzani briefed the Assistant Secretary of State on the Ninth Cabinet’s reforms, particularly efforts to diversify the Region’s economy. On relations between Erbil and Baghdad, Prime Minister Barzani noted that the people of the Kurdistan Region have sacrificed a great deal for their rights and thus will not cede them under any circumstances. He further expressed the Kurdistan Region’s determination to resolve all issues through dialogue and on the basis of the Constitution.

The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs reiterated her country’s commitment to supporting the Peshmerga forces and said that they would increase their efforts to assist in resolving outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad – particularly in relation to oil and gas – as the inability to resolve them would have a negative impact on the country’s stability.

They also discussed climate change, the development of renewable energy, increasing US investment, and developing the private sector in the Kurdistan Region.