President Barzani, top US diplomat support Iraq avoiding regional conflicts

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday received the US ambassador to Baghdad, with both agreeing that Iraq should avoid becoming embroiled in the Middle East conflicts. 

President Barzani and Ambassador Alina Romanowski touched on a range of issues, underscoring “the recent developments concerning the precarious situation in the Middle East.

They emphasized the necessity for collaborative efforts in the region to uphold stability and avert further complications,” said a readout from the Kurdistan Region Presidency. 

“Additionally, they reiterated the importance of Iraq remaining detached from regional conflicts and issues,” it added.

Israel has launched an all-out war against the Palestinian Hamas movement in retaliation to the group carrying out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The deadly war has spilled over to neighboring Lebanon where its Hezbollah movement has fired missiles and used explosive-laden drones to attack Israeli targets.

Iraq is at the forefront of regional countries defending against Israeli attacks, and Baghdad has sent several rounds of aid to the Gaza Strip. Pro-Iran Iraqi militia groups have launched numerous rocket and drone attacks against Israel. 

Barzani and Romanowski also talked about the Kurdistan Region’s long-overdue parliamentary elections and its results, with the US diplomat congratulating the Kurdish leader and the people of Kurdistan “for successfully conducting the election process,” according to the readout. 

“In this regard, both parties highlighted the importance of cooperation among political groups to form a government,” it added.

The Region held the vote on October 20. The preliminary results were a landslide victory for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which garnered nearly twice as many votes as the runner-up Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The final results will be announced on Wednesday, according to Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) which supervised the process.

The United States and the Kurdistan Region enjoy historic and long-standing relations. Washington has supported Kurdish Peshmerga through the conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS), including against its remnants in disputed areas claimed by Erbil and Baghdad where the extremist group has exploited a security vacuum.