PM Barzani discusses financial reforms with US Treasury official

Shafaq News / The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, held discussions on Friday with Brian Nelson, the US Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, regarding financial system reforms and the banking sector.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's office, "Barzani met with Brian Nelson to exchange views on enhancing bilateral relations and supporting the reforms being implemented by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as part of its ninth ministerial cabinet."

The statement further noted that "the two parties discussed financial system reforms, the banking sector, the 'My Account' project, and the digital transformation of public services."

Earlier today, Masrour Barzani met with the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk in the US capital, Washington.

They called for respecting the Region's "constitutional framework" as they discussed regional security.

"We discussed developments in Iraq and the region and the state of our bilateral relations," the Prime Minister said in a post on Facebook.

"We agreed on the importance of preserving the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region, respecting its constitutional and federal framework, and protecting the rights of its minorities."

On February 24, Prime Minister Barzani arrived in Washington and met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

They discussed Erbil's budget disputes with Baghdad, the halted oil exports through Turkey, the Sinjar Agreement, and the "worrisome" decisions by Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court regarding the Kurdistan region's budget and election law.

He also met with former Speaker to the House Nancy Pelosi, along with Congresspersons Don Bacon (R, Nebraska), Brad Wenstrup (Ohio), Seth Moulton (Massachusetts), and Amata Coleman Radewagen (American Samoan).