U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski on Monday said she was pleased to meet Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and reaffirmed U.S. support for a swift government formation after the October 20 elections.

“Pleased to meet with Prime Minister Barzani to reaffirm U.S. support for the swift formation of a government that is inclusive and responsive to the needs of the Kurdistan Region’s people,” she posted on X. 

“We also discussed regional developments and the adoption of peshmerga reform efforts.”

According to a readout from the KRG, the main focus of the meeting between the Ambassador Romanowski and Prime Minister Barzani were the preparations for the formation of the new KRG cabinet.

Reportedly, both sides agreed on the importance of uniting political factions to establish the new cabinet as soon as possible to ensure the continuation of essential services to all citizens and communities in the Kurdistan Region.

Prime Minister Barzani emphasized that the government formation should be based on the votes of the political parties and reflect the results of the elections, aiming for a strong, inclusive, and unified government.

In a separate meeting, Ambassador Romanowski and President Masoud Barzani discussed the steps to forming a new government.

President Barzani pointed out that the Kurdistan Democratic Party has formed a team to discuss the formation and agenda of the new government.

Productive meeting with KDP President @masoud_barzani to discussed efforts to form a government without delay now that elections have been finalized. We will continue to work with our partners in the KRG to promote a secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq.

— Ambassador Alina L. Romanowski (@USAmbIraq) November 4, 2024

In a post on X after the meeting with President Barzani, Ambassador Romanowski underlined that they had discussed efforts to form a government without delay now that the election results have been finalized.

The U.S. Ambassador Romanowski also in another post on X also underlined that "a strong and resilient KRG is necessary to ensure the security, stability, and sovereignty of Iraq and combat threats to the region."