U.S. officials expect that there will be a discussion about the importance of good relations between Erbil and Baghdad during the upcoming visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani to Washington, D.C., on April 15.

“It is important to have good relations, obviously, for the security, stability, and sovereignty of Iraq,” a senior Department of State official told reporters on April 11.

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Moreover, the official said there has been progress made on discussions to try to reopen the pipeline between Iraq and Turkey for oil exports from the Kurdistan Region.

On March 25, 2023, independent oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through Turkey were halted after a Paris-based international arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara. 

In a letter released on March 28, a number of Republican members of Congress urged the Biden administration to make the resumption of the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports a precondition for any visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani to the United States.

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The Department of State official added that it is important that “there has been progress made on the discussions about salary and budget allocations for the Kurdistan Region out of the federal budget.” 

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on April 3 announced that the KRG had reached a deal with Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani’s team on salaries. As a result, salaries for February and March were distributed.

Budget reductions imposed by Baghdad have posed challenges for the KRG in meeting payroll for government workers. 

Moreover, the official added that the U.S. Department of State has been actively engaged in trying to ensure that the elections in the Kurdistan Region scheduled for June take place in a timely manner.

“We will continue to encourage creative solutions and urge all parties to remain in dialogue to find solutions to build security in Iraq and Kurdistan,” the U.S. official said on the relations between Baghdad and Erbil.