ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani on his nomination for the KRG presidency, according to a State Department readout published Wednesday night. During a surprise visit to Erbil on Wednesday evening, Pompeo congratulated PM Barzani on his nomination for the presidency – a post which has been frozen since Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) president Masoud Barzani resigned in 2017 following the Kurdistan independence referendum. According to a readout from the US State Department, Pompeo also emphasized “strong US support for continued dialogue between the KRG and the central government in Baghdad.” Following an unscheduled stop in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday morning, Pompeo travelled on to Erbil, where he also met with Masoud Barzani and Kurdistan Region Security Council Chancellor Masrour Barzani – who has been nominated for the office of prime minister. If approved, the two Barzani cousins will hold both the top seats of government. They will only be successful if the KDP gets its way in government formation talks with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Change Movement (Gorran) – their nearest rivals. PM Barzani described his meeting with Pompeo as “productive”. They “discussed the recent territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria” while underscoring “the value of our strategic relationship with Iraq and our longstanding friendship with the IKR [Iraqi Kurdistan Region], which is vital for ensuring mutual security and regional stability.” Pompeo is touring several Middle Eastern states to drum up support for America’s anti-Iran campaign and to reassure allies in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s bombshell decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria.
