Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani on Friday spoke to several Kurdish and American media organisations about his successful visit to Washington DC and the strong bond between Kurdistan and the United States which are together fighting against ISIS.

He also addressed the Council on Foreign Relations, a leading think tank and publisher, and on Saturday, he concluded his visit to Washington by holding a meeting with the American-Kurdish community.

President Barzani, speaking at a media roundtable that included publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, AP and Reuters, was asked about a range of issues. These included what types of weapons the Peshmerga needed, what President Barack Obama had offered the Kurds, whether the weapons should be delivered direct to Kurdistan or go via Baghdad, Kurdistan's relations with its neighbours and whether a referendum on independence would go ahead.

In response, President Barzani reiterated his and the Kurdish people's gratitute to the US Administration, Congress and people for the timely and continuous support and assistance America has provided to the Peshmerga. He said the Peshmerga needed all types of weapons that are used in war and that the weapons should go direct to the Peshmerga's hands, not be staged in Baghdad first. However, what is more important than the route by which the weapons arrive is to have the weapons in the first place.

He said that both President Obama and Vice President Biden had offered support and assitance and that he had come away from these and other meetings with US officials assured of the United States' support in the war against ISIS.

President Barzani said that Kurdistan's policy is to have good relations with all its neighbours and that he welcomed the peace process in Turkey. He said that a referendum on self-determination would go ahead at some point but the current priority was to fight and defeat ISIS.

The President was also intereviewed by several Kurdish media outlets, including Kurdistan TV, Rudaw, NRT and the Kurdish Section of Voice of America Television.

On the same day the President addressed an invited audience at the Council on Foreign Relations where he spoke about the current security, humanitarian and economic situation in Kurdistan and about his meetings in Washington.