U.S. requests data on Iraqi Kurdistan’s economic crisis

February 12, 2016

WASHINGTON,— Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) envoy in the United States said Washington has requested information and data of the region’s economic crisis and expenditures, making “certain” U.S. will help KRG.

KRG representative in the U.S., Bayan Abdulrahman, told NRT the U.S. will continue to provide the KRG assistance but required more information on the details to analyze the situation.

“The U.S. officials want to have information on the Kurdistan Region’s economy, expenditures of Peshmerga forces and refugees, so they asked for data and information,” KRG envoy said.

KRG officials have repeatedly called for the international community to increase assistance for the Region, as it has faced an economic crisis. The KRG has said the crisis is due to factors including the fight against the Islamic State (IS), significant oil price decreases, and an influx of refugees and displaced Iraqis settled in the region.

Salaries for KRG employees have been delayed for months for the almost 1.4 million people on its monthly payroll.

KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani asked for technical assistance from a U.S. delegation on January 24, 2016, as the region plans to implement a reform plan to reduce expenditures and increase revenue.

According to the KRG official website, the U.S. delegation headed by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Stuart Jones, said the U.S. would send advisers and experts to help KRG tackle the ongoing crisis affecting the region.

The U.S. delegation reportedly said the request for assistance and data on the crisis would be communicated to Washington D.C. and that advisers would be sent to Erbil to help tackle the economic crisis.

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