Washington DC, USA (us.gov.krd) – KRG Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed spoke at various institutions in Washington during his first official visit to the US capital in June, including the US Institute of Peace and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Minister Ahmed, accompanied by Representative Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, met with USCIRF Commissioners Frank Wolf and Eric Euland, and Executive Director Erin Singshinsuk, on June 16, 2023. They discussed the importance of protecting the religious and ethnic harmony that exists in Kurdistan, addressing the difficulties faced by Christians and Yazidis who wish to return to their homelands, as well as the need for the international community to sustain assistance to the IDPs and refugees who remain in Kurdistan.

On June 14, at the US Institute of Peace, Minister Ahmed had a roundtable discussion with policymakers and analysts, before engaging in a public discussion, moderated by Sarhang Hamasaeed, USIP’s Director of Middle East Programs.

At the public event, jointly hosted by USIP and the American University of Kurdistan, the KRG Minister said that although ISIS had been overpowered militarily, the terrorist group’s ideology remains rampant and is among the top threats facing the region. He listed climate change and the resource scarcities and migration that it would trigger as a potential challenge in the future. The Minister also discussed other security issues including the spillover of the PKK-Turkey conflict into the Kurdistan Region and the rogue actions of some of the militias in Iraq.

In a wide-ranging discussion that was livestreamed, Minister Ahmed and Dr Hamasaeed also discussed the situation of IDPs and refugees, the progress made in the US-supported peshmerga reform program and the KRG’s relations with the Iraqi federal government.

On June 15, Minister Ahmed had a roundtable discussion with analysts at the Wilson Center, hosted by Jim Jeffrey, former US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey and Special Envoy to the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS, who is Chair of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program. Minister Ahmed updated them on Erbil-Baghdad relations, security threats, and regional dynamics.

On June 13, the Minister had a roundtable meeting at the Heritage Foundation hosted by Max Primorac, Director of Foreign Policy there and former USAID Special Representative for Minority Assistance Programs in Iraq. They discussed ISIS threats and the status of religious minorities, relations with Baghdad and how regional politics impact Kurdistan and Iraq.