Washington, DC - Secretary Pompeo spoke with Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al Abadi and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government. The Secretary expressed appreciation for the two leaders’ progress in resolving outstanding Baghdad-Erbil issues according to the Iraqi constitution’s framework for dialogue.
In his conversations with each leader, the Secretary emphasized the importance of forming a moderate new Iraqi government, pursuant to the constitutional timeline, that is responsive to the expectations of the Iraqi people. The Secretary commended recent successful joint operations by Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga against ISIS. Finally, the Secretary underscored continuing U.S. support for a strong, sovereign, and prosperous Iraq as outlined in our bilateral Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq.