Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani yesterday received a United States delegation, headed by Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In the meeting, also attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, Senator McCain expressed his appreciation to the people, the government, and especially the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region for liberating many areas from the Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS, control, notably the town of Sinjar. Senator McCain said the goal of their visit was to learn firsthand about the situation on the frontline and the urgent needs of the Region, which will be conveyed and discussed at the US Government upon their return to Washington, DC. Senator McCain also praised the efforts of the people and the government of the Kurdistan Region in accommodating and assisting an extraordinary number of internally displaced persons, IDPs, who fled ISIS violence and sought refuge in Kurdistan Region.
Prime Minister Barzani expressed his appreciation for the delegation’s visit and profound gratitude for the support of the United States Military support to the Peshmerga forces. He pointed to the difficulty serving over 1.7 million IDPs and refugees in the midst of severe financial constraints, and requested additional assistance to better meet their needs. Regarding Erbil-Baghdad relations, Prime Minister Barzani said the Region seeks establishing strong relationship with the Iraqi Federal Government. He expressed his government’s readiness to hold talks and negotiations in order to settle all the outstanding issues with Baghdad.