ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday received US Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack in Erbil. The senior American diplomat met with other Kurdish and Iraqi leaders in Baghdad the day before.
There was no immediate statement from Barzani or Barrack regarding their meeting.
Barrack arrived in Baghdad on Monday and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. A joint statement from both sides said they focused on the disarmament and disbandment of all armed groups outside the government control and on strengthening ties between Washington and Baghdad.
Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani also met with Barrack in the Iraqi capital on Monday, according to a statement issued by the PUK president’s office on Tuesday.
The two sides discussed the latest developments in the region, including the recent agreement between the United States and Iran that is set to end months of conflict.
“To achieve political, economic, and security stability, emphasis was placed on supporting the new Iraqi government in order to overcome crises and challenges,” Talabani’s office said, referring to Zaidi’s cabinet.
The PUK leader and Barrack also discussed the Kurdish parties’ failure to form a new government despite nearly 20 months having passed since the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections.
“President Bafel expressed his concern regarding the failure to form the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government, stating that the legitimacy and credibility of the current government are beginning to be called into question,” the statement read.
The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections in October 2024, in which the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 39 seats and the PUK secured 23 in the 100-seat legislature. No party achieved a majority, and negotiations to form a new cabinet have remained deadlocked over power-sharing arrangements, governance structures, and key ministerial posts.
