ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani welcomed a US congressional delegation on Sunday to discuss regional developments, bilateral ties, and the ongoing political and economic developments, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on developments in Iraq and the wider region, and discussed ways to further strengthen relations between the Kurdistan Region and the United States,” the statement noted.
Prime Minister Barzani expressed his gratitude for Washington’s continued support to Erbil and highlighted the KRG’s ongoing reform initiatives in sectors such as energy, electricity, and banking.
The US delegation included Representatives Adam Smith, George Whitesides, Michael Baumgartner, Sarah Jacobs, and Wesley Bell, along with their accompanying staff.
The officials emphasized “the strategic importance of the Kurdistan Region within Iraq and the Middle East,” reaffirming the US’s “continued support for Kurdistan and its Peshmerga forces,” according to the statement.
The delegation also stressed the importance of forming the KRG’s upcoming cabinet without further delay.
The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary elections in October. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came out on top winning 39 seats in the 100-member parliament. Meanwhile, the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) came in second with 23 spots.
Since no single party won a majority, a governing coalition will need to be formed, as has traditionally been the case.
Prime Minister Barzani and the congressional delegation also discussed relations between Erbil and Baghdad and “the need to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline.”
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the pipeline have been suspended since March 2023 after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to export oil independently.
In February, the Iraqi parliament passed amendments to the federal budget law, authorizing $16 per barrel in production and transportation fees - a key step toward restarting Kurdish oil exports.
The amended budget law also set a 60-day deadline for the Iraqi government and the KRG to establish an international consultancy body to assess those costs. If they do not meet the April 17 deadline, the federal council of ministers will appoint one.
However, a member of the Iraqi parliament told Rudaw on Friday that significant obstacles remain in the way of Erbil and Baghdad reaching a final agreement to restart Kurdish oil exports.
"Some of the Kurdistan Region's demands require another amendment to the budget law,” Basim Ghribawi said, elaborating that the KRG wants to also produce 115,000 barrels of oil for domestic consumption and “have the [Iraqi] Ministry of Oil take responsibility” for the production costs.
For its part, the US government has been urging the resumption of Kurdish oil exports.
On March 19, Washington urged the Iraqi government to strike a deal with international oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region “as soon as possible, and to honor the existing contracts with US companies.”
