ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region's president on Monday stressed the need for Kurdish and Iraqi parties to come together to resolve issues and return to the principles of unity and dialogue, he said at a memorial event honoring the life of the late president of Iraq and leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talabani.
"I hope that the memory of Mam Jalal will encourage the unity of Kurdish parties and encourage the Iraqi parties to come together. On this occasion, I call on all parties to agree and work together," President Nechirvan Barzani spoke during the memorial event honoring the fifth anniversary of Jalal Talabani's passing, attended by senior Iraqi and Kurdish leaders.
Jalal Talabani, also known as Mam Jalal (Uncle Jalal), was the first Kurdish president of Iraq and was an instrumental figure in drafting the 2005 Iraqi constitution following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime.
President Barzani further commended the signing of a peace agreement between the two Kurdish leading parties - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - in 1986 that united the Kurdish people against the former Iraqi regime. The agreement was signed by Jalal Talabani and Idris Barzani.
"Thanks to their unity, the Kurdistan Region experienced a complete revival of stability, progress, prosperity ... which was a source of joy and pride to all Kurds," he said, adding that following the agreement's signing, the international community greatly improved in their recognition of the Kurdish people and their rights.
However, the need for both leading Kurdish political parties to go back to the aforementioned principles was urged by President Barzani, who said that the two now need to be more united than ever to prevent the "further weakening of the political will of the Kurdish people."
President Barzani also called on Iraqi political parties to the dialogue table with the country experiencing a suffocating political deadlock.
"The Iraqi people are very tired of the country's political conflicts because they know that the longer the conflicts continue, the fewer services will be provided and the stability and sovereignty of the country will be weakened," he said as Baghdad approaches a year without a permanent cabinet due to disagreements between the country's major Shiite factions.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi reiterated President Barzani's calls during the memorial event, lamenting that the "language of accusation and treason has prevailed over the language of calm and dialogue to reach a solution" while stressing the gap left by Jalal Talabani's absence from Baghdad.
"The late would have pushed all political leaders to the dialogue table for a calm and sane discussion," the Iraqi premier said.
Kadhimi also praised the "brotherly" relations between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in his speech, advocating for their improvement and calling for the resolution of outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad.
Iraqi President Barham Salih voiced concern about the political situation in Iraq and addressed the need for coordination between the country's rival political parties to participate in a "practical dialogue" to resolve issues.
"The situation in Iraq requires more careful decision-making and wisdom than ever before. It requires unity, will, and coordination of political and national forces," Salih said.
The Kurdistan Region's Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani thanked the officials for attending his father's memorial event while praising him for his commitment to good principles and willingness to solve problems.
"Today, more than ever, we need to return to the principles of dialogue and coexistence. These were the principles that Mam Jalal supported," Qubad Talabani said.
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