New US ambassador to Iraq meets with top Kurdish leaders

Chenar Chalak

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The newly appointed US ambassador to Iraq on Thursday conducted her first official series of meetings with prominent Kurdish leaders, discussing bilateral ties and the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad

Alina Romanowski was received by President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday, with both sides reaffirming their willingness to promote bilateral ties between Erbil and Washington, and expressing their intent to expand cooperation between the two, according to a statement published by the office of the President.  

The latest developments in Iraq’s political landscape and ways to end the current impasse were also highlighted during the meeting, in addition to Erbil and Baghdad’s tense issues which loomed after Iraq’s top court deemed the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law to be “unconstitutional,” angering Kurdish leaders. 

The Region passed its oil and gas law in 2007, enabling it to administer and develop its own oil and gas resources.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also met with Romanowski, stressing to the new ambassador that the issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government were not exclusive to oil and budget and that the Region was a “constitutionally recognized entity” and hence it and its people must be treated as such.

Iraq’s federal budget was passed by its parliament in March last year after heated debates and more than three months after it was first approved by the cabinet. One particularly contentious point was Erbil’s share and requirements for the KRG to hand over oil. 

The Kurdistan Region receiving its share of the budget is conditional on Erbil fulfilling its commitments, which include handing over 250,000 barrels of oil per day, paying back the money it previously borrowed from the Iraqi Trade Bank, sending non-oil revenues and prioritizing paying the salaries of its civil servants and Peshmerga before any other spending.

The new US ambassador was also received by KRG Deputy PM Qubad Talabani, and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Masoud Barzani, addressing similar points.  

Romanowski reiterated her country’s support for the Region to all the Kurdish leaders, referring to Erbil as an “important ally” to Washington.

The new ambassador presented her credentials to Iraqi President Barham Salih and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on June 2. She was nominated for the position by US President Joe Biden in December. 

Romanowski is a career member of the Senior Executive Service with over 40 years of service across various US government agencies under her belt. She is an expert in Middle East affairs and served as the US ambassador to the State of Kuwait.

Washington, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region have maintained a strong relationship over the years. The US has been a key ally in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) since 2014, providing the Region’s Kurdish forces with several rounds of military aid over the years.