Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 23.
Barzani meets Rubio in US capital for talks on energy, economic cooperation
NEWSROOM – Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met Friday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C. to discuss economic cooperation, energy policy, and minority rights, as both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties between Erbil and the U.S.
According to a KRG statement, Barzani thanked the United States for its continued support and welcomed Rubio’s public remarks praising the Kurdistan Region’s resilience. The two leaders discussed political and economic backing for the region, particularly within the broader federal structure of Iraq.
Rubio reiterated the U.S. commitment to a “strong and stable Kurdistan Region,” calling it “a key part of U.S. regional strategy under President Donald Trump.” He said Washington is prepared to support the KRG “across a range of areas.”
The meeting also addressed the prolonged suspension of oil exports through the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline — a key revenue source for the Kurdistan Region — and the KRG’s reform agenda aimed at economic diversification and securing financial and constitutional rights.
Oil exports via the pipeline have remained halted since March 2023, following an international arbitration ruling in favor of Baghdad. Despite multiple rounds of talks between the KRG, the federal government, and international actors, efforts to resume exports have yet to yield a breakthrough.
In a statement, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the secretary commended Barzani for recent agreements with American firms to expand natural gas production, calling the initiative a step that “will help Iraq move toward energy independence.”
On May 19, the Kurdistan Regional Government signed two multibillion-dollar gas development deals in D.C. with U.S. energy firms HKN Energy and WesternZagros. While welcomed by U.S. officials, the agreements drew strong objections from Iraq’s federal government, which argues that such contracts violate court rulings and constitutional provisions governing oil and gas resources.
Barzani and Rubio also discussed the protection of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria, a longstanding issue in U.S. foreign policy. According to the State Department, Rubio reaffirmed support for “a strong and resilient IKR as a foundational pillar of the relationship the United States enjoys with Iraq.”
