The Kurdistan region in Iraq has much to thank the United States for, but we also have high expectations of our partner.

The people of Kurdistan want a true partnership with the U.S., based on mutual respect and strategic interests. The Kurdistan region will always be grateful to the U.S. for the assistance it has provided and will continue to value our relationship. At a time when the Middle East is facing myriad challenges, we look to America to carry out its leadership role.

The Kurdistan region may not have existed as we know it today without the decision by the U.S. and other coalition nations in 1991 to launch Operation Provide Comfort and create a no-fly-zone over parts of Iraqi Kurdistan to protect our people from Saddam Hussein.

Those steps enabled our people, for the first time, to live outside of the stranglehold of the genocidal Ba’athist regime. This newfound freedom led to the first open and fair elections in Kurdistan, in 1992, paving the way for the creation of the Kurdistan Parliament, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the establishment of the peshmerga as the official military of Kurdistan.

It is those same peshmerga who have partnered with the U.S. military and the other members of the Global Coalition to defeat the Islamic State group since 2014.

What do we expect from the U.S. in this election year? While the choice of the U.S. president and members of Congress is up to the U.S. electorate, undoubtedly, the people of Kurdistan will be watching closely. Historically, we have had good relations and bumps on the road with both Republican and Democratic leaders. We believe the relationship now has enough history and understanding to withstand those bumps, and we are grateful for the bipartisan support Kurdistan enjoys in the U.S. Congress.

Kurds and Americans have shared values. We both venerate freedom, hard work and entrepreneurship as the foundations of a strong society. The people of Kurdistan see much to admire in America — your institutions and education system, the pursuit of freedom, the can-do culture, and building of alliances and partnerships.

We realize that Americans are tired of fighting wars in distant lands. But the U.S. wears the mantle of leadership. When there is a power vacuum in the Middle East, others are quick to fill it and create harm that has global repercussions. We saw this with the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, which inspired terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Besides, in the Kurds the U.S. has found a reliable partner with a history as a bulwark against extremism and who are ready to fight for freedom.

That is why we need the United States to stay the course and support the peshmerga and Iraqi security forces until we achieve the enduring defeat of ISIS, as is the stated aim of the coalition. While ISIS’ territorial caliphate has been liberated, the terrorist organization still poses a serious threat. We are thankful for the training that U.S. and coalition partners provide to our forces and the other forms of support that have enabled us to continue the fight against ISIS despite a financial crisis and other challenges that have buffeted us. We ask not only that the U.S. stay the course, but also consider a long-term, sustainable security partnership that works to our mutual benefit.

The Kurdistan region, with a population of 5 million, hosts more than 1 million internally displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees. A few years ago, the number was close to 2 million. Kurdistan’s open-heart, open-door policy toward those fleeing conflict stems from our own history of genocide and displacement. We are grateful to the countries that have provided assistance, especially the U.S., which has been the largest contributor. However, the Kurdistan Regional Government still bears 70% of the cost of their care, and international aid is dwindling. The long-term solution is to enable the displaced Christians, Yazidis and Arabs who are sheltering in Kurdistan to return to their homelands in Mosul, Nineveh Plain and Sinjar.

The U.S. intervened in August 2014 when it became apparent ISIS was committing genocide against the Yazidis. It should help ensure those people can return to their homes; otherwise, Iraq will lose its mosaic of faiths and cultures. It would be tragic for Iraq, one of the first countries to embrace Christianity, to lose its Christian and ancient Assyrian heritage. It would be a historical injustice if the Yazidis are unable to rebuild their villages and shrines and the city of Sinjar.

We ask that the U.S. work with the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to find a lasting security and humanitarian solution to the return of these persecuted people.

The Kurdistan region is in the crosshairs of regional power plays and great-power competition in the Middle East. The Kurds in Syria have played a critical role in the defeat of ISIS in Syria, yet there is sometimes doubt about the U.S. commitment as the situation becomes more complex. Turkey and Iran bombard Iraqi Kurdistan at will, without any outcry from the international community. There are perhaps 40 million Kurds in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Many of them face violence and human rights abuses and look to the U.S. and the international community for protection and to champion their rights.

The U.S. has a role to play in normalizing relations between Erbil and Baghdad and ensuring that both parties adhere to the Iraqi constitution. The regional and federal governments have been at odds over oil exports, revenue-sharing, the status of the Peshmerga, and the disputed territories. Today there are talks between Erbil and Baghdad on resolving these disputes. There is no silver-bullet solution, but the United States can facilitate, support, and encourage a lasting agreement between the two sides, which can only help Iraq achieve greater stability.

We believe the U.S. benefits from a broad and constant relationship with Iraq and the Kurdistan region by promoting the stability of a country at the crossroads of the Middle East. Ours is a region with substantial oil and gas resources that can be a source of economic prosperity to its own people and part of the solution to global energy needs. We welcome American business, and we are grateful for the American companies that have invested in Kurdistan. Some of the pioneers in the development of our energy sector are Texas-based businesses that have been with us through thick and thin. We believe their investment will earn a good return that will be another avenue for our growing relationship with the U.S.