Mr. McGurk extended the gratitude of both US Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry to President Barzani and the KRG for their humanitarian aid to the more than 200,000 thousand Syrian refugees in Kurdistan.

He added that US President Obama would be happy to welcome President Barzani whenever the President intends to visit the Unites States. The US State Department senior official further added that there are now concerted efforts underway for the US Congress to pass legislation to remedy the issues of visa for the people of the Kurdistan Region.

They also discussed relations between Erbil and Baghdad, including the upcoming Iraq parliamentary elections. On the withholding of KRG employee salaries by Baghdad, Mr McGurk said his country has insisted that this problem should be resolved as soon as possible and dialogue be sought by all sides.

For his part, President Barzani reiterated that the upcoming Iraqi elections must be held on time. On salary and budget issues with Baghdad, he said that this issue has nothing to do with political disputes and that the Baghdad government uses this as a pressure card against the Region. This decision by Baghdad, he said, is unlawful and a violation of the rights of citizens of the Kurdistan Region. No one can usurp this right from our people, he added.