KRG denies reports of planned US visit by prime minister Masrour Barzani

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government on Sunday denied media reports claiming Prime Minister Masrour Barzani would travel to the United States to meet senior American officials, calling the claims baseless.

The KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations said in a statement that “some irresponsible media outlets, for specific purposes, have published news about the prime minister’s visit to the United States and meetings with senior officials of that country, which is far from the truth and has no basis.” The statement urged that “announcements should be based on official sources, not aimed at distorting public opinion.”

The denial comes after KNN TV, a channel affiliated with the Gorran movement, reported earlier this month that Barzani would visit the U.S. and meet President Donald Trump to discuss issues related to the Kurdistan Region, including public sector salaries, agreements between Erbil and Baghdad, oil exports through Ceyhan port, and the Popular Mobilization Forces law. The report, which was later quoted by other outlets, also said senior KRG officials had recently visited Washington to prepare for the trip.

The KRG has not announced any upcoming U.S. visit for the prime minister.

In May, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani visited Washington, where he oversaw the signing of two multi-billion-dollar gas development agreements with U.S. companies HKN Energy and WesternZagros at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.