The PUK reinstates the role of politics in serving the public

Reports 10:28 AM - 2023-01-03

President Bafel among Iraqi politicians

In order to secure a deal with Baghdad to provide the financial rights of the Kurdistan Region, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has stepped up efforts. One of the key items on the PUK's agenda during the establishment of the new Iraqi administration, as articulated by PUK President, was to avoid mixing the needs of the populace with the political disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.
 
During a recent trip to Baghdad, PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani stressed the importance of coordinating efforts to reach a general understanding over the Kurdistan Region's share of the Iraqi budget. When he spoke with Ammar al-Hakim, the leader of the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement, he said the following: "The Kurdistan Region and its residents have been suffering as a result of this issue. Therefore, the PUK will make every effort to find a permanent national solution to this issue and put an end to the current state."

The PUK is intensifying its efforts

Latif Nerway, a member of the PUK Leadership Council, told PUKMEDIA that the PUK's consistent stance on national issues set it apart from other parties and helped turn it into a symbol of hope for the nation. Especially now that more is being done to separate political disputes between Erbil and Baghdad from the livelihoods of Kurdish citizens.

"Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani has already made over 20 trips to Baghdad to secure the Kurdistan Region's financial dues in the Iraqi budget, and President Bafel's initiatives are also a continuation of the PUK's rigid policy within the government and the party, and they fall under the umbrella of the campaign promise to reconcile with the Kurdistan Region's residents and provide more prosperity in the coming year," Nerway continued.

The PUK's goal is to solve problems

The PUK is adamant about finding a solution to the issues separating Erbil and Baghdad, and conversations are currently ongoing between the PUK president and key representatives of the Iraqi government and parties as a result.
 
In reference to this situation, Nerway said that "the PUK President submitted his party's agenda to the prime minister during the formation of the new Iraqi government and that one of the most important points on the agenda is that people's livelihoods should not be mixed with the political conflicts between Erbil and Baghdad, which is why the PUK continues to meet with top delegations of the Iraqi government and parties."

The Kurdistan Region is part of Iraq

Given the development of a national perspective on this issue in the nation, the prime minister of Iraq is optimistic that the issues separating Erbil and Baghdad can be resolved.

"The PUK considers that all difficulties between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad should be resolved," says Karim Shukur, a member of the Iraqi parliament, "therefore it has intensified efforts and has been able to build a national understanding on the subject of the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad."

The Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani maintains that there is a chance to address the issues because the Kurdistan Region is a part of Iraq; therefore, Shukur continued, "We should really try to overcome the disagreements between Erbil and Baghdad."

The issues between Erbil and Baghdad need a radical solution

Each year, as the Iraqi budget bill is approved, the unresolved issues between Erbil and Baghdad resurface. A member of the Iraqi parliament then declares: "It is time to handle the tensions between Erbil and Baghdad from the root."

The financial issues between Erbil and Baghdad must be rectified, according to Zahra al-Bajari, a member of the Iraqi parliament, who told PUKMEDIA, "We cannot keep dealing with the same problem every time the budget bill is ratified."

The PUK submitted a proposal during the formation of the new Iraqi government. The PUK president has stepped up his efforts to bring the other aspects of the proposal into action, especially the portion about the Kurdistan Region's financial rights that is sent by the Iraqi government. There have already been several implementations of the proposal's recommendations. Because of this, there is currently national unity and a determination to find a solution to the issues that have long troubled the people of the Kurdistan Region.



Translated from Kurdish by Hiran Halwan, Additional editing by Zareena Younis
PUKMEDIA