On Monday, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Ambassador Tom Barrack praised the leadership of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani after both officials discussed outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad earlier today.

“Baghdad and Erbil talking directly is how the hard issues get solved: oil exports, salaries, revenue,” Ambassador Barrack posted on X. 

“PM al-Zaidi and KRG PM Masrour Barzani showed that leadership today. The United States stands with both as they build one prosperous, sovereign Iraq.”

On Monday, KRG Prime Minister Barzani arrived in Baghdad at the head of a high-level government delegation to meet with his Iraqi counterpart al-Zaidi and other Iraqi officials.

According to the KRG readout, both sides strongly condemned last night’s drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field and agreed on the need to put an end to attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region’s economic and energy infrastructure.

Furthermore, Prime Minister al-Zaidi outlined plans to increase oil production in the coming years, with output projected to reach 7 million barrels per day by 2030 and 10 million barrels per day by 2032.

This includes production from fields in the Kurdistan Region, which is expected to reach nearly one million barrels per day. He reaffirmed that this increase would have a positive impact on Iraq’s economic growth and development.

Both sides also discussed the management of oil fields and mechanisms for regulating oil and non-oil revenues. 

Another part of the discussion was focused on the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s public employees, with both leaders stressing the need to ensure the continued payment of salaries to civil servants. 

The two officials also discussed the Kurdistan Region’s share of the 2027 Iraqi federal budget and the importance of accelerating the ratification of Iraq’s Oil and Gas law to resolve issues related to oil production and exports in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Iraq has lacked a comprehensive federal Oil and Gas Law since the adoption of its 2005 Constitution, and KRG Prime Minister Barzani has repeatedly called for updated legislation on the subject.