ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Three Democratic US lawmakers have called for stronger American ties with Kurdish communities, urging Washington to maintain direct engagement with the Kurdistan Region, better protect its Kurdish allies in Syria and ensure Kurds in Iran and Turkey are not sidelined in regional political settlements.
"We shouldn't just be listening to whoever's in Baghdad. We need to be spending time in Erbil and the Kurdish areas and remembering the deep, deep friendships and cooperation we've had with the Kurds," Senator Tim Kaine told Rudaw's Diyar Kurda on Monday in Virginia.
Kaine, who said he had visited the Kurdistan Region several times, stressed that the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq should not end American assistance to the country or its Kurdistan Region, including economic support.
“We need to stop the war. We haven’t had enough votes to stop the war so far… to restore the right relationship between the United States and our allies around the world,” Kaine stated, adding that Washington's engagement with Erbil was particularly important as well as “working in tandem with the [federal] government.”
The remarks come as the US-led coalition has completed its military withdrawal from Iraq, while the Kurdistan Region continues to face security concerns amid the wider conflict involving Iran.
Senator Mark Warner also called for stronger US support for Kurdish communities across the Middle East, acknowledging that Washington had not done enough to protect its Kurdish allies, particularly in Syria.
"Truthfully, the Kurdish people in the Middle East have been the most stalwart allies of America," Warner said. "There have been times, particularly around the Syrian situation, where we've not done enough to protect our Kurdish allies."
Warner also warned against sidelining Kurds in any future political settlements involving Iran and Turkey, saying he wanted to remain a voice for Kurdish communities in both countries.
"Whether it's in Iran or in Turkey, [the Kurdish community] is never left behind," he said.
On the war with Iran, Warner said that although the Iranian government was "awful," President Donald Trump had entered the conflict without a plan, adding that war was “not the right way” to address the challenges posed by Tehran.
He also said Washington needed to stand against discrimination targeting Kurds in Iran.
Congressman James Walkinshaw echoed the lawmakers' support, praising Kurdish Americans for their contributions to Virginia and the United States.
"The Kurdish people have been great friends to the United States of America over many years," he told Rudaw, urging eligible Kurdish Americans to participate in Tuesday's election.
Americans are heading to the polls on Tuesday to cast their vote in the US midterm elections to elect members of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate, determining which party controls Congress for the remainder of US President Donald Trump's term.
In Virginia, voters will elect a US senator and all 11 members of the state's congressional delegation, including Warner, who is seeking reelection.
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