MILAN, Italy - Iraq analyst Michael Knights on Thursday stressed that US policy in Iraq should prioritize Kurdish self-determination, asserting that achieving lasting peace for the Kurds is the best thing Washington can achieve in the country.

“I think the best and, being pessimistic, possibly the only thing the US can achieve in Iraq at this stage is to create lasting peace for Iraq's largest ethnic minority [Kurds], who is also the main lifeboat for the persecuted Christians of Iraq and many other minorities,” said Knights, senior fellow at The Washington Institute specialized in Iraqi political and security risk analysis.

Knights remarks came during a panel discussion organized by Al-Monitor Global Institute in Washington DC, which also included Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Cabinet Secretary Amanj Raheem, and Brad Camp, chief strategy officer of KAR Group.

The discussions mainly focused on the importance of the $110 billion energy agreements recently inked between the KRG and HKN Energy and WesternZagros as part of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s official visit to the US.

The Iraqi oil ministry on Tuesday said they reject the recent agreements, claiming that the procedures violate a 2022 Iraqi federal court ruling prohibiting Iraqi regions and provinces from regulating trade policy with other countries. The KRG’s natural resources ministry responded to Baghdad’s comments, stating that the agreements are constitutionally valid and have been previously approved by Iraqi courts.

Knights emphasized that the US government needs to help resolve the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad, highlighting the Kurdistan Region’s important role for the stability and development of Iraq and the wider region.

“The US government says a lot of things these days, it needs to follow through with action. And that action is about getting the Baghdad Prime Minister’s office and the ministry of oil to look at Kurdistan as a synergy, an opportunity, and to work with the political factions in Iraq to silence disruptive elements,” said the analyst.

“Ultimately the US can, and should, help to resolve this Baghdad-Kurdistan issue this summer... Fixing the Baghdad-Kurdistan dispute once and for all... ultimately makes the US more prosperous through our businesses. It makes the US more secure because Kurdistan Region is an excellent counterterrorism partner,” he added.

KRG Cabinet Secretary Raheem also stated that the Iraqi constitution “clearly” authorizes the Kurdistan Region to develop its natural resources, but noted “unfortunately, till now the federal government has failed to implement the federalism system in this regard.”

“Without Baghdad-Kurdistan cooperation, there is no Development Road. There is no connection between the Gulf, Iraq, Turkey, and Europe. There is no Iraq-Turkey pipeline without the Kurdistan Region. There is no development of the Kirkuk fields... And there are no major water deals with Turkey without the Kurdistan Region,” Knights noted.

Iraq’s Development Road is a massive multi-billion dollar railways, roads, ports, and cities project which aims to shorten travel time between Asia and Europe and links the Grand Faw Port in southern Iraq to the Turkish border. The project is set to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and enhance Iraq’s geopolitical status.

The Kurdistan Region shares strong ties with the US. Washington has for years provided military aid and training to the Region’s Peshmerga forces. Prime Minister Barzani also shares a strong relationship with the current US cabinet in general, evident by his strong reception by US officials during his May visit.

US Congressmen and Senators have collectively stressed that the recent deals benefit the whole of Iraq, not just the Kurdistan Region, during Prime Minister Barzani’s meetings in Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday stated that Kurdish autonomy, including economic freedom, is the “linchpin” of Washington’s approach toward Iraq, in reference to the recent agreements.

“Kurdish self-determination within Iraq… should be US policy, and judging by what we’ve heard this week increasingly it is US policy,” said Knights, referring to Rubio’s comments.