ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Monday highlighted President Masoud Barzani’s role in reaching a ceasefire deal in Syria and noted that Iraq could benefit from the president’s “wisdom and guidance” to overcome its challenges.

Barzani received Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s Envoy for Syria and US Ambassador to Turkey, in Erbil’s Pirmam. The meeting was attended by Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

During the meeting, the envoy acknowledged Barzani’s efforts “in preventing the spread of war and violence, as well as efforts to contain recent developments in Syria and reaching an agreement between the Syrian government and the [Kurdish-led] Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),” read a statement from Barzani’s office.

Officials from the Kurdistan Region, and in particular Barzani, played a vital role in facilitating a January 29 ceasefire and integration agreement between Rojava (northeast Syria) and Damascus, serving as key interlocutors between the SDF, the government of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and international guarantors such as the US and France.

The integration agreement has seen limited numbers of Syrian state forces enter Rojava cities and assume administrative roles, while Damascus has attempted to quash Kurdish fears of chauvinism and centralization by formalizing linguistic and cultural rights for the minority.

Barrack further stressed that “Iraq could benefit from President Barzani's wisdom and guidance on its own issues and challenges.”

In addition, the Kurdish leader also highlighted the struggle of the Kurdish people and the atrocities committed against them, noting that “the Kurdish people have always sought peace and coexistence and have wished for problems to be resolved away from violence.”

The two sides also discussed Iraq’s political landscape, with Barzani stressing the importance of implementing the constitution and the principles of federalism and called for a legislation to be enacted to resolve outstanding issues “such as the oil and gas law, Article 140, and laws related to the implementation of federalism in the Iraqi state.”