ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States on Wednesday officially opened its new consulate compound in Erbil, considered to be the largest American consulate in the world. A top American official said the new facility is a “testament” to Washington’s commitment to long-term partnership with the Kurdistan Region.
“We have significant opportunities in the coming period to demonstrate the return on America's investment in this new consulate by delivering tangible outcomes that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous through a partnership that delivers value for our America First agenda. The building we inaugurate today is a testament to our commitment and is a physical symbol of America's long-term partnership with Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region,” Michael Rigas, US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, said during a speech he delivered at the opening ceremony in Erbil.
Built on a 206,000-square-meter site on the Erbil-Shaqlawa road, northeast of the Kurdish capital, the new US consulate building cost around $800 million, according to a March 2019 report by the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).
During a September 2021 celebration of the structural completion, Robert Palladino, then US Consul General to Erbil, remarked, “The United States consulate will be big, really big. How big? 206,000 square meters.”
Kurdistan Region’s leaders also attended the ceremony and highlighted the Washington-Erbil partnership.
"The existence of this diplomatic center here is a clear political message regarding the importance of Erbil, and the Kurdistan Region. It reflects the deep partnership in which Iraq and the Kurdistan Region maintain with the US,” said Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in a speech.
“Our relationship with the United States is built on trust, values, and joint work over the past three decades,” he added, shedding light on America’s relations with Iraqi Kurds before and after the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government, including the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime and the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). The Kurdish Peshmerga played a role in these two wars.
“The opening of this consulate compound in Erbil demonstrates the continuation of this relationship and shows that the United States is committed to working with us in efforts toward peace and stability,” he noted.
Rigas also said that the new compound is more than a series of buildings. “It is a testament to the value of the relationship between the United States and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”
“We are proud of our deep and long-standing partnership with the people of this region and are grateful for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's role as an effective, capable security partner and trusted voice in Iraq and throughout the region,” he stated.
A drone attack on Kurdistan Region’s key Khor Mor gas field last week caused a partial blackout in the Region. The assault, which Kurdish officials have blamed on Iran-aligned militia groups, have been condemned by the international community. The US has invested millions of dollars in the field and has strongly condemned it.
Rigas urged Baghdad and Erbil to “meet this moment to disempower and dismantle Iran-aligned militias that continue to engage in violent and destabilizing activities and only serve to harm Iraqi sovereignty,” adding that the Khor Mor attack was an example of the threat these militia groups pose.
“President Trump has prioritized commerce over conflict. We actively support US companies in Iraq and see the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as a dynamic entry point to Iraq's markets for American companies. These companies will bring superior technology, increase local workforce development, and promote higher health and safety standards,” he added.
Speaking at the Wednesday ceremony, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the new compound is “rising like a mountain, a solid, unshakable rock in Erbil, which is a testament to the old strong bond between the United States and the people of Kurdistan and Iraq.”
He added the US and Kurdistan Region had fought together against “tyranny and terrorists, now it's time to build.”
“We here in the Iraqi Kurdistan government are firm believers and supporters of the policy of President Trump about peace through strength, commerce and not conflict,” he said.
Victoria Taylor, a former deputy assistant secretary for Iraq and Iran who now leads the Iraq initiative at the Atlantic Council, told Rudaw on Wednesday that the US consulate compound should have been built earlier.
"The previous consulate was in a series of houses in the Ankawa neighborhood. And so it has always been more fitting that there be a dedicated consulate building more like we have around the world. Unfortunately, it took a lot longer to construct this building than maybe should have taken place," she said.
"But I think the construction of this large consulate is a reflection of the very active cooperation between the US government and the Kurdistan Region and the importance of the relationship between our two peoples. Having a dedicated consulate building really will enable the people at the consulate to do their work more effectively," she added.
She believes that the opening of the new compound would be possible without "a long-term trajectory and a strategic aspect to this partnership."
Last updated at 11:16 pm
