During a trip to Washington, D.C., that began on Tuesday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed has held several meetings with U.S. officials and prominent Congresspeople to strengthen the Kurdistan Region’s relationship with the United States.

Read More: Interior Minister Visits Washington to Strengthen U.S.-KRG Ties

“Minister Ahmed visited Washington this week for high-level meetings with members of Congress, policy institutions, and U.S. officials to reinforce the U.S.-Kurdistan partnership and coordinate on regional stability, counterterrorism, and security cooperation,” Treefa Aziz, KRG Representative to the United States of America, told Kurdistan Chronicle. 

“The visit highlighted the Kurdistan Region’s continued role as a reliable ally and the importance of sustained U.S. engagement in advancing peace and shared interests,” she added.

The visit included a meeting on Thursday with Congressman Brian Mast, who serves as the Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, Representative Mast reaffirmed his strong support for a secure and stable KRG.

On February 10, Representative Mast delivered opening remarks at a full committee hearing on the situation in Syria, in which the recent January 30 agreement between Kurdish forces and Damascus was discussed.

The KRG office in the United States posted on X that Minister Ahmed met with Congressman Steve Cohen, senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, who shared insights from his recent visit to the Kurdistan Region and discussed continued cooperation on regional security and stability.

Furthermore, he met with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in which they discussed continued support for the Kurdish people and advancing stability in the region.

Minister Ahmed spoke separately to the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on counterterrorism efforts, and to the Hudson Institute and the Atlantic Council on the strategic U.S.-KRG partnership. 

Minister Ahmed also met with several U.S. officials such as Monica Jacobsen, Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Acting U.S. Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS; Wayne Wall, National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for the Middle East; and the team at the NSC, which ​​advises the U.S. president on national security and foreign policy.

He also met with Counselor of the U.S. Department of State Michael Needham on February 10, in which Minister Ahmed conveyed KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s appreciation for President Donald Trump’s leadership, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s engagement, and the enduring U.S.-KRG partnership.

In addition, Minister Ahmed met with Ross Perot Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a team from the U.S. oil company HKN, during which they discussed economic ties, investment opportunities, and advancing U.S.-Kurdistan commercial cooperation.

He also met Congressman French Hill, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to discuss shared priorities and regional developments of mutual interest.