On May 3, top Kurdish leaders received a U.S. Senate delegation led by Senator Ted Budd and Senator Joni Ernst in the capital of Erbil and thanked the United States for its continued support for the Kurdistan Region.
In a meeting with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the delegation discussed strengthening bilateral relations, developments in Iraq, and the need to protect the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional and financial entitlements, Prime Minister Barzani’s office said in a press release.
The Prime Minister’s office also said that both parties “agreed on the importance of resolving issues between the KRG and the Iraqi federal government through dialogue, based on constitutional agreements, and respecting the Kurdistan Region as a federal and constitutional entity.”
Pleased to receive Senators @SenTedBuddNC and @SenJoniErnst in Erbil. I thanked them for US support to the Peshmerga and our strengthening ties.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) May 4, 2024
We agreed on the need to protect KRI’s constitutional rights, and ensuring the right and fair conditions for the upcoming elections. pic.twitter.com/mM9i6P0cD2
“I thanked them for US support to the Peshmerga and our strengthening ties,” Prime Minister Barzani said in a post on X.
“We agreed on the need to protect KRI’s (Kurdistan Region of Iraq) constitutional rights, and ensuring the right and fair conditions for the upcoming elections.”
Today @IKRPresident Nechirvan Barzani met with a US Senate delegation @SenJoniErnst, @SenTedBuddNC and their colleagues, who reaffirmed the US unwavering support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The President thanked the Senate and Congress and emphasized enhancing cooperation. pic.twitter.com/1a0oUJ6bVB
— KRP Media (@MediaKRP) May 4, 2024
In a separate meeting, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his gratitude to the U.S. Congress for their continuous support to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
He emphasized the shared desire of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to enhance mutual cooperation and strengthen relations with the United States, the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region said in a readout.
On February 24, 2024, on an official invitation by the Biden administration, Prime Minister Barzani traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with top U.S. officials and members of Congress, in which both sides stressed the importance of U.S.-KRG relations. His trip concluded on February 26.
According to the recently published Pentagon Lead Inspector General’s report on Operation Inherent Resolve, the “United States seeks a stable, sovereign, and secure Iraq as well as a prosperous Iraqi Kurdistan Region within federal Iraq.”
In a statement released on March 18, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) announced it would boycott the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 10 due to rulings by the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq that have undermined the autonomy of the Kurdistan Region.
The elections have been delayed several times since October 2022 due to disputes between the KDP and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The PUK has insisted on holding the elections on June 10, while senior KDP official Hoshyar Zebari on May 2 welcomed the United States’ acknowledgement that it does not object to delaying the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections for a short period.
Read More: KDP Official Welcomes U.S. Position on Elections
“We understand that President Barzani and various Iraqi authorities and other political parties are actively considering next steps,” U.S. Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters on April 30, after President Barzani’s visit to Baghdad.
“From our point of view, we would encourage them to schedule free, fair, and timely elections, and we hope that process takes place.”
According to the Pentagon Inspector General report, on February 21, the “Federal Supreme Court canceled 11 parliamentary seats reserved for minority groups, reducing to 100 the number of regional parliamentary seats. The ruling was the result of a lawsuit by the PUK seeking to gain influence over the KDP and led to intensified tensions between the political parties.”
The Pentagon report also mentioned that Federal Supreme Court rulings have weakened the ability of the Kurdistan Region to govern itself, and cited media reports that the court is close to the ruling Coordination Framework, a bloc of Iran-aligned political parties that helped bring Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani to power.
