World’s largest US Consulate set to open in Erbil
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States is set to inaugurate the world’s largest consulate compound in Erbil on Wednesday, a move officials describe as indicative of the Kurdistan Region’s strategic importance and deep partnership with Washington.
Michael Rigas, US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, who arrived in Erbil on Wednesday, is set to inaugurate the new building, the State Department confirmed.
Built on a 206,000-square-meter site on the Erbil-Shaqlawa road, northeast of the Kurdish capital, the new US consulate building cost around $800 million, according to a March 2019 report by the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).
During a September 2021 celebration of the structural completion, Robert Palladino, then US Consul General to Erbil, remarked, “The United States consulate will be big, really big. How big? 206,000 square meters.”
Palladino confirmed the building “will be the largest consulate in the world,” adding, "The reason the United States is building the largest consulate in the world here in Erbil is because the relationship between the United States and Kurdistan Region needs room to grow bigger.”
The foundation stone of the new consulate was laid by Kurdistan Region's then-Prime Minister and current President Nechirvan Barzani and Douglas Silliman, the then-US ambassador to Baghdad, in July 2018.
"We view this project today with great pleasure, as an external signal to the world that America wants to stay in Iraq, America wants to stay in Kurdistan, and America wants to develop its relations,” President Barzani then said, stressing the importance of such a move “for our nation, for Iraq, and for America."
President Barzani received US Deputy Secretary of State, Rigas, in Erbil on Wednesday, ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
For his part, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said last week that the opening of the largest US consulate in Erbil “is a clear indication of the strength and the good relationship that exists between the Kurdistan Region and the United States.”
He added, "We have a very good relationship, and the construction of this consulate is a very clear indication that they intend - and we hope they continue - to help each other more in achieving our shared goals."
Meanwhile, Trifa Aziz, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Representative to the US, told Rudaw that the consulate signals Washington’s long-term commitment to the region. She described it as “a strong and clear reflection of the long-standing partnership” between Erbil and Washington and “a vote of confidence” in the Kurdistan Region, which “remains the most reliable, tried, tested partner and ally of the United States.”
Aziz added that the consulate will pave the way for further expansion of Erbil-Washington ties, both economically and on security matters.
Washington and Erbil maintain close ties. The US has been a key supporter of the Kurdistan Region since it gained autonomy in the early 1990s, backing the development of the Kurdish Peshmerga, supporting ongoing reforms, and leading the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).
Michael Rigas, US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, who arrived in Erbil on Wednesday, is set to inaugurate the new building, the State Department confirmed.
Built on a 206,000-square-meter site on the Erbil-Shaqlawa road, northeast of the Kurdish capital, the new US consulate building cost around $800 million, according to a March 2019 report by the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).
During a September 2021 celebration of the structural completion, Robert Palladino, then US Consul General to Erbil, remarked, “The United States consulate will be big, really big. How big? 206,000 square meters.”
Palladino confirmed the building “will be the largest consulate in the world,” adding, "The reason the United States is building the largest consulate in the world here in Erbil is because the relationship between the United States and Kurdistan Region needs room to grow bigger.”
The foundation stone of the new consulate was laid by Kurdistan Region's then-Prime Minister and current President Nechirvan Barzani and Douglas Silliman, the then-US ambassador to Baghdad, in July 2018.
"We view this project today with great pleasure, as an external signal to the world that America wants to stay in Iraq, America wants to stay in Kurdistan, and America wants to develop its relations,” President Barzani then said, stressing the importance of such a move “for our nation, for Iraq, and for America."
President Barzani received US Deputy Secretary of State, Rigas, in Erbil on Wednesday, ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received US Deputy Sec. of State Michael Rigas ahead of the opening of the world’s largest US Consulate in Erbil, a move officials say highlights the Region’s strong partnership with Washington.
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For his part, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said last week that the opening of the largest US consulate in Erbil “is a clear indication of the strength and the good relationship that exists between the Kurdistan Region and the United States.”
He added, "We have a very good relationship, and the construction of this consulate is a very clear indication that they intend - and we hope they continue - to help each other more in achieving our shared goals."
Meanwhile, Trifa Aziz, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Representative to the US, told Rudaw that the consulate signals Washington’s long-term commitment to the region. She described it as “a strong and clear reflection of the long-standing partnership” between Erbil and Washington and “a vote of confidence” in the Kurdistan Region, which “remains the most reliable, tried, tested partner and ally of the United States.”
Aziz added that the consulate will pave the way for further expansion of Erbil-Washington ties, both economically and on security matters.
Washington and Erbil maintain close ties. The US has been a key supporter of the Kurdistan Region since it gained autonomy in the early 1990s, backing the development of the Kurdish Peshmerga, supporting ongoing reforms, and leading the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).