A delegation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is currently on a visit to the United States.

KRG Representation in the United States said in a post on X that the delegation consisted of the Director General for Contracts and Economic Affairs Khazal Auzer, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources Baroz Aziz, and Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources Deyary Rakhtawan.

A very warm welcome to the delegation from the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Dr. Khazal Auzer, Director General of Contracts & Economic Affairs, & Dr. Baroz Aziz, Senior Advisor to the Minister & Acting Director General for Technical Affairs and Dr. Deyary Rakhtawan,… pic.twitter.com/iJBM7aiGMm

— KRG-USA (@KRG_USA) September 19, 2024

The MNR delegation held a number of meetings in Congress with the offices of Senator Chris Murphy, Representative Randy Weber, and Representative Dina Titus. “Challenges and opportunities in line with natural resources and energy development initiatives were discussed,” the KRG in the United States said.

Last week, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani also visited the United States, but his visit was interrupted after he was hospitalized due to a heart problem.

Read More: Kurdistan Can Achieve 24/7 Electricity and Supply Iraq: U.S. Consulate

Also last Tuesday, U.S. Consul General Steve Bitner met with KRG Minister of Electricity Kamal Mohammad to discuss the Kurdistan Region’s energy potential.

“We talked about the Kurdistan Region’s incredible energy potential. With the right investment, the Kurdistan Region has enough energy resources for 24/7 electricity and can power federal Iraq,” the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil posted on X.

On March 25, 2023, oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through Turkiye were stopped after an international arbitration court in France ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, after which Turkiye stopped the 450,000 barrels per day of crude oil exports.

The Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline has now been closed for over one year, despite negotiations between Ankara, Erbil, and Baghdad.

Read More: APIKUR Urges Dialogue on Oil Exports

Earlier on May 16, 2024, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt visited the Kurdistan Region and was welcomed by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. 

“We both agreed on the importance of restarting Kurdistan’s oil exports, as their suspension has resulted in significant economic loss for Iraq in general,” Prime Minister Barzani said in a statement during Secretary Pyatt’s visit.