ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday received a letter from US President Donald Trump stressing the need for cooperation.

“In the letter, President Trump… stressed the importance of working together and promoting common values with the Kurdistan Region,” read a Thursday statement by the Kurdistan Region’s presidency. 

The statement elaborated that Trump’s message was “in response to a message” sent by Barzani earlier, the contents of Barzani’s message have not been published at the time of this writing.

Trump thanked Barzani for his message “and wished the Kurdistan Region’s president success at the end of his letter,” according to the presidency’s statement.

Barzani met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich last week, where he extended an official invitation to the secretary to attend the inauguration of the new US Consulate General building in Erbil.

Barzani told reporters later in Munich that he had told Rubio “that Iraq as a whole needs the coalition forces… we do not think this is the right time for US troops to withdraw from Iraq” in light of threats of the Islamic State (ISIS) reemerging in the region including Syria and Iraq.

Barzani congratulated Trump on his inauguration on January 20, saying “we greatly value our strong partnership with the US and look forward to working closely to advance peace, stability, and shared values.”

The Kurdistan Region has been the primary ally of the US in the fight against ISIS and has kept cordial relations with them.