ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The two main ruling parties in the Kurdistan Region announced Saturday that Iraq had “reached a dangerous stage” in recent weeks, with both the government and parliament in turmoil. “We have not been a part of the escalated problems in the parliament and the government, as we have constantly tried to be part of the solutions,” according to a joint statement issued after the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) met in Erbil to discuss the recent political developments in Baghdad. Earlier on Friday, Iraq’s parliament speaker and his two deputies were removed from office as the parliament was due to vote on Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s new cabinet. The Kurdistan Region has announced it will not support the new Iraqi government since no political deal was reached between Baghdad and Erbil over the new cabinet. The statement also reiterates that the Kurdish people have “a self-evident right” to self-determination through a referendum which the two parties say will go ahead as planned. “The Iraqi government and parliament are the first bodies that we will conduct a dialogue with regarding our right to referendum,” the statement said.
