ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday received a letter from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, recognizing his pivotal role in regional diplomacy and commending the Kurdish President’s “leadership” and “responsible statesmanship,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
Secretary Rubio “commended President Nechirvan Barzani for his role in reopening the pipeline between Iraq and Türkiye, which enables the export of oil from the Kurdistan Region, and welcomed the initiative,” the statement noted.
Kurdistan Region oil exports resumed through the pipeline in late September after being suspended in March 2023. The suspension followed a Paris-based arbitration court ruling that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement with Baghdad by allowing Erbil to export oil independently since 2014.
Exports resumed after a tripartite agreement involving Erbil, Baghdad, and international oil companies operating in the Region, following many rounds of negotiations.
Secretary Rubio also “expressed his appreciation for President Nechirvan Barzani’s ongoing efforts to promote dialogue between Türkiye and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and his commitment to fostering peace and stability in Syria,” the Presidency statement added.
In May, the PKK announced its dissolution and the end of its four-decade armed struggle with Turkey, following a February call by its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to pursue a political and democratic path.
In early July, the group held a symbolic disarmament ceremony in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province, followed by a late October announcement of the withdrawal of all remaining fighters from Turkey - a move welcomed by Turkish officials, including the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Since 2022, President Barzani has played a key role in facilitating peace talks between the PKK and the Turkish government.
“The President of the Kurdistan Region has been directly in contact through all possible channels - not only with the two main parties in the conflict but also through his diplomatic relations with the international community - to help pave the way for ending armed conflict in the region,” Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, told Rudaw in early July.
On the Syrian stage, President Barzani was among the first to welcome the landmark March agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the interim leadership in Damascus, which aims to integrate the Kurdish-led forces under state command.
He described the agreement as “an appropriate roadmap for the future and a correct transitional phase” and reaffirmed Erbil's full support for Syria’s stability.
“The Syrians’ welcoming this agreement reflects their desire - like all the peoples of the region - for stability and peaceful solutions away from violence,” he then added, while also emphasizing “the need to protect the rights of all Syrian communities and their active participation in building a free and prosperous Syria.”
In his Sunday letter, Secretary Rubio hailed President Barzani’s “leadership and constructive engagement,” describing it as “the kind of responsible statesmanship that advances peace and cooperation.”
The letter follows a similar message President Barzani had received in late October from US President Donald Trump, thanking him for supporting his “peace initiatives” and emphasizing “the importance of resolving conflicts in the Middle East,” the Kurdistan Region Presidency said in a statement.
The US President concluded the letter by sending his “best wishes for success to President Nechirvan Barzani and his family.”
Updated at 9:30 pm