Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM KRG-US December 2020 newsletter 1 message Kurdistan Regional Government - USA <[email protected]> Wed, Dec 30, 2020 at 7:06 PM Reply-To: [email protected] To: [email protected] Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States Washington D.C. Welcome to our December 2020 Newsletter Both the federal government and the KRG are struggling financially due to the fall in oil prices. The dispute over the KRG’s share of the federal budget has been a source of disagreements and tensions for several years. Prime Minister Barzani has asked that the United States and the United Nations join high-level talks to bring about a lasting constitutional settlement. The Prime Minister discussed this in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this month as well as in his meeting with Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker, who visited Kurdistan in early December. Kurdistan-US relations expanded in This past month, the Kurdistan Regional 2020 Government negotiating team, led by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, has This past year, the Kurdistan-US been in Baghdad to discuss the KRG’s relationship has continued to grow, despite share of the federal budget and other the challenges posed by the coronavirus. disputes. We are hopeful that an agreement has been reached on the Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM budget that will enable both sides to see The year began with a meeting by the country through 2021 after a year of President Nechirvan Barzani and President great hardship for all. Donald Trump in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. A Deputy Prime Minister Talabani and the few weeks later, Prime Minister Barzani High-Level Committee on Baghdad met Secretary Pompeo and Secretary of Relations met with various leaders in the Energy Dan Brouillette at the Munich Iraqi capital, as well as parliamentary Security Conference. He also met a large committees and federal ministries to congressional delegation led by Senator identify and eliminate stumbling blocks to Lindsay Graham. In August, KRG officials, an agreement. led by the President’s Chief-of-Staff Fawzi Hariri, visited Washington DC as part of the In a KRG Cabinet meeting last week, Prime Iraq delegation, to participate in the US Minister Masrour Barzani recognized the Iraq Strategic Dialogue. tireless efforts of the negotiating team and said the KRG is seeking a peaceful and fair We also saw the KRG Minister of resolution to ongoing disputes and Endowment and Religious Affairs, ensuring there are no challenges in Pishtiwan Sadiq, and Ambassador Sam Baghdad to an equitable agreement that Brownback, the US Ambassador-at-Large protects Kurdistan’s constitutional financial for International Religious Freedom, take entitlements. part in a virtual roundtable on freedom of belief in the Kurdistan Region. And last Need for a lasting settlement month, we were pleased to have Prime Minister Barzani and US Deputy Energy The Iraqi Cabinet has submitted a draft Secretary Mark Menezes open a two-day budget law for 2021 to the Iraqi parliament. virtual conference on Kurdistan's economic The KRG’s share of the federal budget will priorities. The conference was organized remain at 12.67%. However, the budget is by the US Chamber in collaboration with categorized into sovereign and non­ our Mission in Washington DC. sovereign expenditure and the KRG's share is calculated after sovereign These meetings took place against a expenses are deducted. Sovereign backdrop of continued security cooperation expenditure includes spending on foreign and growing economic and cultural ties. affairs, defense, the federal court, the We hope to see these connections broaden Council of Ministers, and various federal in 2021. agencies and institutions. On behalf of the KRG Representation Although the KRG believes it is entitled to team, I would like to wish everyone a more than 12.67%, it has agreed to this happy, healthy, and successful new year. amount and said that if the draft budget law is approved, it would be ready to deliver 250,000 barrels of oil per day through the Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman Iraqi oil marketing company SOMO. Representative to the United States Kurdistan Regional Government Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM r ■■ , * Representative Abdul Rahman meets What does the Kurdistan flag mean to with congressional and White House the Kurdistani people? Watch the video officials to find out Representative Bayan Sami Abdul On December 17th, every year, the Rahman this month held meetings with Kurdistani people celebrate Kurdistan Flag officials at the White House, Department of Day by festooning their homes, schools, Energy, Congress, and the American... and places of work with our colorful flag... Read more Read more Kurdistan in America Episode 11 - A discussion about ARCH International's restoration of the tomb of the Prophet Nahum DECEMBER 25, 2020 KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES SEASON 1 EPISODE 11 Kurdistan in America KURDISTAN Episode 11 - A discussion about ARCH Interna IN o AMERICA 00:00 I 41:33 © Q3 © e (h LISTEN ON SHARE EPISODE O © © |I !| ^ (5) + f * in Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM With ISIS only a few miles away, you'd think that the last thing an American NGO would want to do is start considering restoring a tomb in Iraq of a prophet from the Old Testament. But that's exactly what ARCH International did in 2014 when it began to look at the tomb of Prophet Nahom in Al Qosh. In this episode of the Kurdistan in America Podcast, Delovan Barwari, from the KRG Representation in the United States, speaks to Sophia Schultz from ARCH International and Katherine Vecchi and Julie Fether, two recent graduates of Johns Hopkins University. The nonprofit organization and the university came together around this cultural heritage site. The KRG was the first major sponsor of this fascinating multi-year project that succeeded against all the odds as ISIS was still in Mosul around the time the nonprofit first assessed the site. In the time of the ongoing pandemic, Katherine Vecchi and Julie Fether looked into ways of making the site accessible and exciting for visitors online and learned much about Kurdistan along the way. Listen to the podcast l A k 31 President Nechirvan Barzani's Christmas message Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM The President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani issued the following message on Christmas: On the occasion of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, I extend my warmest congratulations to our... Read more presidency.gov.krd Presidency Condemns Attack on US Embassy The Kurdistan Region Presidency condemned rocket attacks against U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, in a statement released Sunday night. Below is the full statement: We condemn tonight's terror attack against... Read more presidency.gov.krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM *- * * 1 m President Nechirvan Barzani receives US delegation Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Mr. David Schenker, and his accompanying delegation including US Deputy Assistant Secretary... Read more presidency.gov. krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM »' L_ £ i mn F — President Barzani meets with UN Special Representative President Nechirvan Barzani met with the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Ms. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. President Barzani... Read more presidency.gov. krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM / PM Masrour Barzani receives call from US Secretary of State PM Masrour Barzani spoke by phone today with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. During the call, PM Barzani thanked Secretary Pompeo for his personal support to the Kurdistan Region... Read more gov.krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM : * 1 m —- "i * MiTiA. rM Prime Minister Masrour Barzani receives Coalition Commander Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday met with Commander of Coalition's Special Operations Joint Task Force, Brigadier General Guillaume Beaurpere, to discuss the latest... Read more gov.krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM r. il m . Ml ' ,* ■■ KRG Council of Ministers convenes on dialogue with Baghdad Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today chaired a cabinet meeting to discuss ongoing negotiations with the Federal Government of Iraq on outstanding issues. Joined by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani,... Read more gov.krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 01/21/2021 10:05:15 AM i! II *5 1 ■ r* i® PM Barzani receives Head of Iraq National Security Agency Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today met with the Head of Iraqi National Security Agency, Abdul-Ghani Al-Asadi, to discuss regional developments.