Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Friday discussed the importance of strengthening the friendship and alliance between the Kurdistan Region and the United States.
The Trump administration maintains a strong relationship with the Kurdistan Region, supporting the KRG’s right to resume oil exports, the development of Peshmerga forces, and the expansion of economic ties.
Read More: KRG, U.S. Agree on Need for Resumption of Kurdish Oil Exports
According to the KRG readout, both officials discussed the latest developments in the region and stressed the need to strengthen bilateral relations.
Secretary of State Rubio also expressed his country’s gratitude to the Kurdistan Region for being a safe haven for ethnic and religious communities and for playing an important role in maintaining stability and security in the region.
Both sides agreed to remain in contact and coordinate to protect common interests.
I spoke with @SecRubio about the latest developments in the region and stressed the need to strengthen bilateral relations.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) April 11, 2025
We also emphasized the need to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region.https://t.co/SVE2mc3giA
Furthermore, both Prime Minister Barzani and Secretary Rubio agreed on the importance of resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan Region via the Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline.
According to a U.S. State Department readout, Secretary Rubio and Prime Minister Barzani “agreed that reopening the Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline immediately is crucial to protecting past U.S. investments and attracting future investment.”
On March 25, 2023, Kurdish crude oil exports through Turkiye were stopped after an international arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, halting 450,000 barrels per day of crude oil exports.
Despite meetings between international oil companies, Baghdad, and the KRG, no progress has been made to resume the exports, although the Iraqi parliament in February approved a budget amendment stipulating the cost of extracting and transporting the Kurdistan Region’s oil.
Read More: Baghdad Must Honor Contracts Before Exports Resume: APIKUR
The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan, which represents several international oil companies in the Kurdistan Region, in late March stated that the oil companies will not resume exports until Baghdad honors their contracts and provides payment guarantees for past and future exports.
