Peregraf — Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Presidential Envoy to Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack in Erbil on Tuesday, where the two discussed regional developments, Erbil-Baghdad relations, energy investment, and the need to break the political deadlock that has stalled the formation of a new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The meeting came as Barrack continued a series of high-level meetings in Iraq, having held talks in Baghdad with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and senior Iraqi officials before traveling to the Kurdistan Region.
In a statement following the meeting, Barzani described the discussions as part of what he called the longstanding partnership between the Kurdistan Region and the United States.
"I expressed my gratitude for continued American support and President Trump's friendship with our nation," Barzani said, according to his office's statement.
According to the statement, both sides agreed to continue advancing trade relations and energy investment projects while supporting Iraq's new federal government.
Barzani said the discussions emphasized the importance of ensuring that the federal government serves all Iraqis equally and in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution.
The meeting also focused on the political impasse in the Kurdistan Region, where negotiations to form the KRG's tenth cabinet have remained stalled since parliamentary elections were held in October 2024.
Although the newly elected Kurdistan Parliament convened for its first session in December 2024, lawmakers have not met again, leaving parliament effectively inactive and delaying the formation of a new government.
"We stressed the urgency of reactivating the Kurdistan Parliament and forming a new KRG cabinet to move past the current political stalemate," Barzani said, according to the statement.
The deadlock has largely stemmed from disagreements between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) over power-sharing arrangements, senior government positions, and the structure of the next administration.
The Erbil meeting came a day after Barrack held talks in Baghdad with Bafel Talabani, leader of the PUK, and Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region.
According to a PUK statement, those discussions focused on regional developments, Iraq's political future, and the prolonged delay in forming the KRG's tenth cabinet.
During the Baghdad meeting, Bafel Talabani expressed concern over the continued failure to form a new regional government, warning, according to the PUK statement, that the legitimacy and credibility of the current administration are increasingly being called into question as the political deadlock persists.
The PUK leader also claimed, according to the statement, that the Kurdistan Region could contribute to resolving Iraq's broader energy crisis through a strategic plan.
Barrack's visit is part of a broader U.S. diplomatic engagement with both Baghdad and Erbil on issues ranging from security cooperation and energy development to political stability and economic reform.