U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday, May 27,  that during last week’s meeting with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed U.S. support for a strong and resilient Kurdistan Region.

“Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Washington, D.C. Secretary Rubio and Prime Minister Barzani discussed opportunities to further increase trade and investment between the United States and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region,” Spokesperson Bruce said.

“The Secretary commended the Prime Minister for finalizing deals with U.S. companies to expand natural gas production in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which will help Iraq move toward energy independence,” she added.

Read More: KRG Signs Major Energy Deals with U.S. Companies

Last week, the KRG signed two multi-billion-dollar agreements with HKN Energy and WesternZagros Resources, estimated to be worth a combined $110 billion.

“The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed their mutual interest in protecting the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. The Secretary also reaffirmed U.S. support for a strong and resilient Kurdistan Region as a foundational pillar of the relationship that the United States enjoys with Iraq,” spokesperson Bruce added.

Read More: U.S. State Department Emphasizes Support for Kurdistan Region

“We also believe that U.S. and Iraqi interests are best served by having a strong, resilient Iraqi Kurdistan Region within a sovereign and prosperous federal Iraq, and we continue to support U.S. companies doing business in all of Iraq, including trade and investment between the United States and the Kurdistan Region.”

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Baghdad has launched a lawsuit in the commercial court against the two new oil deals between the KRG and U.S. oil companies.

“As far as the nature of the lawsuits, obviously we are looking forward to continuing these kinds of deals,” the spokesperson Bruce said on this subject. “We expect these kinds of deals to flourish, and expect and would hope that they would be facilitated. But we’ve got to underscore the importance of an independent and energy independent region, and this is one way that we’re going to be able to do it.”

The KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources on May 20 defended its constitutional rights as a separate region and emphasized “that the two deals signed by our Ministry with the U.S. companies HKN and WesternZagros are based on existing contracts with new U.S. investment and new operating companies.

“These deals are based on contracts signed many years ago, which have also been upheld as legal and valid by Iraqi courts. There is no legal dispute concerning them.”

Furthermore, it said that the goal of these agreements is to deliver uninterrupted electricity services across all parts of Iraq.