ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US congressmen in a letter on Monday urged President Joe Biden to “make every effort” to end what they labeled the “unacceptable treatment” of Kurds in the Kurdistan Region by Iran-backed factions in Iraq.
The letter which highlights recent political and security challenges the Kurdistan Region has endured was signed by congressmen Michael Waltz, Michael T. McCaul, and Joe Wilson.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has “served as one of the United States’ most reliable partners in the Middle East, yet is being economically strangled, politically and legally pressured,” the letter read.
“The closure of the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline (ITP) has cut off the KRG from the majority of its revenue,” the congressmen stated, adding that Iran continues to “export oil with seeming impunity, despite U.S. sanctions.”
Turkey stopped the flow of Kurdish oil through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline after a Paris arbitration court ruling on March 23 ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had breached a 1973 pipeline agreement and allowed the Kurdistan Region to begin independent oil exports in 2014.
Oil exports are the main source of revenue of the Kurdistan Region but have been halted since the ruling, worsening the Region’s economic woes.
In August, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the State Department had discussed the issue with the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and Turkey.
“It is clear that the engagements Secretary Blinken cited have not contributed to a successful resolution to the crisis in Iraq and reopening of the ITP,” the letter added.
The congressmen called for a “new Iraq strategy,” further calling on Biden to discuss the issues with by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
Al-Monitor reported on Tuesday that Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani had sent a letter to Biden earlier this month, warning him that the Kurdistan Region could collapse, calling on the US President to mediate between Erbil and Baghdad through the “significant leverage” his administration retains with Baghdad.
In the letter, the congressmen said that since Barzani’s reported letter, the situation “has only gotten worse.” However, they praised Sudani’s recent decision to loan the KRG 2.1 trillion Iraqi dinars to pay the salaries of civil servants. ani.
Iraq’s Council of Ministers on Sunday agreed to loan a total of 2.1 trillion Iraqi dinars to the Kurdistan Region to cover the salaries of civil servants for a period of three months. The decision was highly welcomed by PM Barzani.
“We are encouraged by the Government of Iraq’s decision to release additional funds to the KRG to help ensure civil servants receive their salaries and to promote stability and economic growth,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Monday.
“The United States will continue to work with all relevant parties to expeditiously reopen the Iraq-Turkey pipeline as soon as possible,” it added.
The Iraqi parliament in June passed its highly-contentious budget bill for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, of which the Kurdistan Region’s share is 12.6 percent. However, budget issues between both governments have not been resolved as Erbil blames Baghdad for not sending the required funds to pay the Region’s civil servants.
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