Washington Kurdish Institute
By: Kathryn Lynn, June 19, 2018
What is your average day like at the Representation? What are your busiest days like? Your slowest?
Our day-to-day work is reflective of the news coming out of Kurdistan. In the past three years, it has been a near-constant stream of urgent or significant events, which have meant that our small team has been extremely busy. On any given day I could be meeting with members of Congress and staff on the Hill, visiting the White House, Department of Defense or State Department, giving an interview to the media, attending events at think tanks or meeting with members of the Kurdistani diaspora. Some days are quieter but generally we are very busy. Our aim in all of these activities is to convey the message of the Kurdistan Regional Government and to ensure our relationship with the United States continues to strengthen.
What is your goal during your time as representative and what issues have you been recently advocating for? How does the representation seek to strengthen ties with the US?
Kurdistan’s relationship with the US is both deep and detailed. My goal has been to continue to grow our relationship with the American government, Congress, institutions, and public. This has included ensuring that the Peshmerga are properly supported for the ongoing fight against terrorism, encouraging the US to play a mediating role between Erbil and Baghdad when needed, lobbying for recognition of the Yezidi and Christian genocide, and encouraging American investment in Kurdistan. We try to grow our relationships not only through official meetings but by holding conferences, cultural events and receptions, traveling around the country, and speaking with whomever we can, whenever we can, to tell them about Kurdistan. I have found that once Americans learn about Kurdistan, they are very sympathetic and want to know more.
Since losing oil revenues from Kirkuk, how is the KRG dealing with budget shortfalls? What is the KRG’s economic strategy?
Kurdistan has been in an economic crisis since our share of the Iraqi federal budget was cut to zero in 2014. The repeated shocks to the economy – a costly war with ISIS, an enormous humanitarian crisis, and the crash in oil prices – all took heavy tolls. Since October 2017, Kirkuk is no longer under the control of Kurdish forces and the Iraqi government has halted the production of oil. This hurts all of us, not just the Kurdistan Region. We hope that we and the federal government can come to an agreement so that this stranded oil can once again be produced and exported for the benefit of everyone. Fortunately in recent months we have been able to negotiate somewhat with Baghdad. The federal government has been paying towards the salaries of civil servants in the past few months. This, with our own oil exports, has helped us stabilize the economy. Still, it is difficult and we need to look beyond this. A lot will depend on the discussions about government-formation after the Iraqi elections last month. We hope to be part of the next Iraqi government. Our broad economic strategy is to try to diversify away from reliance on oil and to promote the private sector.
Does the KRG have statistics on the internally displaced persons in Kurdistan? Is this a strain, financially or socially, on the Kurdistan Region? Is there any aid coming from Baghdad for IDPs? Are these IDPs returning? If not, why?
As of April 30, there were 1,076,332 internally displaced Iraqis in Kurdistan, in addition to 276,121 refugees from other countries. To put this in perspective currently 1 in 5 people in Kurdistan is displaced or a refugee. The effect on services is proportional, and a majority of the cost of hosting and caring for these populations is on the KRG – we estimate that 70% of the cost is on us, the rest is provided by the UN, NGOs and others. Baghdad provides some funding for camp operations, but has not provided funding for services to displaced people.
How does the KRG award energy contracts? Does the Ministry of Natural Resources choose or do they go to the highest bidder? Is the contract awarded to Rosneft a sign of a diplomatic or political shift towards the Kremlin?
The process for awarding contracts is outside of my work in Washington, so I can’t speak to that. But I will say that it’s important to keep in mind that we built up Kurdistan’s oil and gas industry from scratch in just over a decade. You have to remember that not long ago there was not a single oil well in Kurdistan. Today we have a pipeline and dozens of international companies exploring and producing. Many of the oil executives that I have spoken to are excited about what they are finding in Kurdistan and some of them are interested in expanding their operations. With regards to Rosneft, we have contracts with companies from countries around the world, including several American and European countries too.
Now that ISIS is mostly out of the Kurdish region, what is the biggest challenge for the Peshmerga and the security of the KRG?
ISIS’ misadventures holding territory may be over but they are certainly not totally defeated. ISIS is a creature of Iraq, and many members and collaborators are still alive, living in communities. More importantly many of the conditions that led to the rise of ISIS, such as sectarian policies, corruption, economic imbalance, are still there. So the next phase is really a counterterrorism, intelligence war as we, with Coalition partners, root out ISIS terrorists and ensure that other terrorist organizations don’t take their place. But there also needs to be investment and reconstruction, and better policies so that every Iraqi feels they are a full citizen of the country.
Does the U.S. still supply aid for Peshmerga forces?
The US is providing stipends and logistical support to Peshmerga forces and many Coalition countries continue to provide training.
Provincial elections are set for September. Do you foresee any changes in the political landscape? What do you hope for Kurdistan?
Actually these are parliamentary elections in Kurdistan, due to be held on September 30. I think there will be some changes. There are new players in Kurdish politics, and the demands of the public have evolved over time. I won’t make predictions about the outcome, but whatever the result, I hope that Kurdistan will continue on the path of peace, stability and maturing democracy.
What are the major disagreements between KRG and Baghdad and when and how does the KRG suggest resolving them? What are the best and worst case scenarios in KRG negotiations with Baghdad?
Erbil and Baghdad have a number of outstanding issues that will need to be addressed with the new federal government when it is formed. One of the most important is the creation of a revenue-sharing law that will institutionalize how revenues are distributed fairly across Iraq. I think this would help not just Kurdistan but also the Sunnis and some of the provinces in the south. We believe that implementing the constitution will solve many of the issues that have previously caused tensions.
Finally, what is your message today to Americans and the American government?
Kurdistan is a tested and true friend of the United States. We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans in the fight against Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and our forces helped in the liberation of Iraq in 2003. We were able to establish a safe and prosperous region, and Kurdistan welcomed dozens of American companies who wished to do business. We want to continue to be close partners with the United States. America has invested a great deal in Kurdistan and Iraq over the years – in terms of blood, treasure and political capital. We appreciate that this brings us together. We have shared values and the shared interest of achieving stability in the Middle East. We hope that our partnership will continue and will widen and flourish.