On January 16, President Nechirvan Barzani received the National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Brett McGurk, who is currently visiting the Kurdistan Region accompanied by a high level US delegation.
At the meeting, attended by the US Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, Mr. Amos Hochstein, and the US Ambassador to Iraq Ms. Alina Romanowski, discussions focused on the latest political developments in Iraq, US relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Erbil-Baghdad relations and the discussions to resolve their differences, the developments in the Kurdistan Region and the process of the unification of the Peshmerga.
Mr. McGurk reiterated the continued US support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, underlining his country’s readiness to expand relations with Baghdad and Erbil, and to develop joint cooperation in all areas, especially in the field of energy and maintaining energy security.
For his part, President Nechirvan Barzani presented a detailed overview of the developments in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and also of the attempts to resolve the pending issues. The President stressed that with the establishment of the new Iraqi federal government, an opportunity has emerged to resolve the issues on the basis of the Constitution and federalism. And in this context, the President reiterated the Kurdistan Region’s readiness to support all constructive efforts.
The meeting also discussed the importance of working together to maintain stability, and the latest developments in the wider region; other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting, which was attended by a number of officials from the Kurdistan Region and the US.