ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday received US envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack, stressing the urgency of forming the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet and reactivating its parliament.

Barrack met with the Kurdish premier in Erbil on Tuesday, a day after arriving in Baghdad for the first time since assuming the role of US President Donald Trump’s envoy for Iraq.

“We stressed the urgency of reactivating the Kurdistan Parliament and forming a new KRG cabinet to move past the current political stalemate,” the prime minister said in an X post after the meeting.

The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections in October 2024, and the elected lawmakers were sworn in during a session in December that year. However, efforts to hold subsequent sessions have failed due to not meeting legal quorum, while disagreements between the election victors have hindered the formation of the next KRG cabinet.

Barzani expressed his gratitude for the “continued American support and President Trump's friendship with our nation,” adding that he agreed with the American diplomat “to continue to advance trade and energy investment, and to support the new federal government to serve all Iraqis equally and on the basis of the Constitution.”

The meeting was also attended by US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Joshua Harris and chief of the global coalition forces in Iraq and Syria Kevin Lambert.

Barrack praised the Kurdistan Region’s “progress and prosperity,” while relaying President Trump’s respect for the “Kurdish people, the Kurdistan Region, and President Masoud Barzani’s leadership,” according to a statement from Prime Minister Barzani’s office.

“Both sides stressed the need to support the new [Iraqi] federal government headed by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi for economic development and serving all Iraqi citizens and communities equally and without discrimination, as well as resolving issues with the Kurdistan Region on the basis of the constitution,” the statement added.

Barzani spoke to reporters regarding his meeting with Barrack later in the day after attending the funeral of Hussein Mohammed Bahaadin, Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) leader Salahaddin Bahaadin’s brother and father of Hemin Lihony, media personality and advisor to the Kurdish premier.

Barzani told reporters that he had a “very good meeting with the American envoy, adding that they discussed timely topics relating to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and cooperation with the new Baghdad cabinet.

“[We discussed with Barrack] advancing economic engagement with the American and foreign companies... so they can benefit more from this opportunity here [Kurdistan Region] and invest,” he noted.

The premier said that the top priority at the moment is the parliament’s reactiovation.

“Since day one we've been supportive of the idea that the parliament belongs to all of Kurdistan's people, not any specific political party, and no one has the right to get in the way of the reactivation of the parliament,” Barzani said.

Prior to coming to Erbil, Barrack met with Zaidi in Baghdad on Monday, where they stressed the need to ensure “the complete disarmament and disbandment” of non-state armed groups, in addition to discussing the trade partnership between Iraq and the US.

During his Erbil visit, Barrack is also set to meet with President Masoud Barzani, and has already met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani.

Barrack was appointed as Special Presidential Envoy to Iraq by Trump In late May. The US president also renewed the diplomat’s mandate as Special Presidential Envoy to Syria while keeping him as US Ambassador to Turkey.