Iraqi Kurdish president to visit Washington next week

WASHINGTON – Anadolu Agency

Hürriyet Photo

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani will meet with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden during his visit to Washington next week, according to the U.S. State Department.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters that in addition to meeting with Obama and Biden at the White House, Barzani will meet with Anthony Blinken, the U.S. State Department’s number two, on May 6 “to discuss a range of issues including the U.S.’s strong and continued support of Iraqi Kurdistan and the Kurdish people.”

Barzani’s Kurdish forces have been instrumental in pushing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) back from its positions in northern Iraq and securing territory from the militants’ control.