Kurdistan Region President meets US diplomat; discussion includes ‘outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil’

by **GirlBye** Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:52 am

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani (right) during a meeting with David Copley, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq Affairs in the US Department of State’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau, in the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil, Oct. 6, 2020. (Photo: KRG)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday stressed the need to strengthen economic ties with the United States and increase investment in Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish region.

President Barzani received David Copley, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq Affairs in the US Department of State’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau, in the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil.
In the meeting, both Barzani and Copley discussed “the latest political and security developments in the wider region, the US-Iraqi strategic dialogue, and bilateral ties between the two sides,” a statement on the presidency website read.

During the meeting, both sides also discussed “the outstanding issues between Erbil-Baghdad and the dialogue to solve them.” They also highlighted the recent attacks against diplomatic missions and coalition forces against ISIS, “the issue of the upcoming early elections, the threats and risks of terrorism and confronting it, and the armed activities of ISIS.”

The two sides stressed on “strengthening US relations with Iraq, especially in the economic field, to provide job opportunities for the private sector and increase American investment in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and to expand areas of cooperation and partnership between them.” The statement indicated that “both sides agreed on Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s need for continuous support from the international coalition against ISIS, and to cooperate and coordinate between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi forces to eliminate ISIS threats.”

Diversifying the sources of revenue and facilitating foreign investments are among the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) top priorities, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Tuesday in his meeting with a top US diplomat, according to a statement from the Kurdish leader’s office.

During the meeting, which the US Consul General in Erbil attended, the situation in the region in general, COVID-19 and its effects, and other issues of concern to both sides were discussed.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/08790b2a-cb4e-4e46-bbe4-d4d2491acb15