President Nechirvan Barzani received, on Wednesday in Erbil, the Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Mr. David Burger.

During their meeting, relations between Erbil and Baghdad and the ongoing talks between the two sides to resolve the outstanding problems were highlighted. Discussions also focused on the situation in the Kurdistan Region and the importance of resolving the differences; the upcoming parliamentary elections of the Kurdistan Region, the situation in Sinjar, and the status of religious communities in the country were also discussed.

Mr. Burger commended and welcomed the setting of the date for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections. President Nechirvan Barzani, for his part, reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to holding the elections, and expressed appreciation for the US support in this regards.

Both sides agreed on the importance of the agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi federal government to normalize the situation in Sinjar and the need to protect the religious communities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The developments in the wider region and other issues of mutual interest were also discussed.