President Masoud Barzani met on Wednesday in Pirmam with Steve Fagin, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Iraq, in the presence of U.S. Consul General in Erbil Ms. Gwendolyn Wendy Green, to discuss the latest political and security developments in Iraq and the region, as well as relations between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region.
According to a statement issued by Barzani Headquarters, the meeting addressed the situation in Iraq. Fagin expressed his appreciation to President Barzani for his role and continued support for the political process in the country.
For his part, Barzani stressed the importance of restructuring relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq on the basis of the Constitution and the principles of partnership, balance, and consensus. He noted that greater gains could have been achieved for Iraq and its components had previous Iraqi governments adhered to these principles, according to the statement.
Barzani also reaffirmed his support for the current Iraqi prime minister within the framework of the Constitution and for safeguarding the constitutional rights of the people of Kurdistan. At the same time, he emphasized support for the various communities of the Kurdistan Region, particularly Christians, on the basis of partnership, respect, and constitutional rights.
In this context, Barzani called for ensuring that the region’s communities are able to freely express their will, stressing the importance of amending the electoral law to enable Christians to exercise their own electoral choices and prevent decisions from being made on their behalf.
Regarding regional developments, Barzani stressed that the Kurdistan Region’s policy is based on staying out of tensions and conflicts, emphasizing its preference for resolving disputes between the parties through dialogue, negotiations, and diplomatic means.
For its part, the U.S. delegation reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the security and stability of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, stressing that the end of the international coalition’s mission does not mean an end to the U.S. commitment to Baghdad and Erbil.
According to the statement, the delegation noted that the international coalition had previously been deployed at the request of the Iraqi government and, in cooperation with the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, succeeded in defeating ISIS. The delegation reaffirmed the continued U.S. commitment, at the security, economic, political, and military levels, to supporting stability and strengthening its partnership with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region within the framework of bilateral relations.
