ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The President of the Kurdistan Region chaired a meeting on Thursday with the leaders of Kurdistan Region political parties to promote unity and end party rivalries, a presidential advisor has told Rudaw.
“The main purpose of the meeting was to get the parties closer together so that there’s a unified Kurdish dialogue to deal with the current sensitive political situation in Iraq and the region as a whole,” Dlshad Shahab told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman.
“There has been a sense of separation between the political parties lately, and this separation has had a negative impact on Kurdistan’s position,” he added.
“The meeting focused on the current situation in the Kurdistan Region and exercising constitutional rights, protecting the achievements and steps for a better future, realism and a sense of responsibility for all,” read a statement from the presidency.
I’m pleased to have met with Kurdistan Region’s political leaders today. We stressed the need for more unity and harmony among political parties. Latest developments in the region and pressing issues were also discussed in the meeting. pic.twitter.com/H4OtK3wHAZ
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) April 8, 2021
Relations between the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) deteriorate occasionally, and tensions arise from time to time between the two political parties.
The KDP and PUK have shared power in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since the 90s, with their own separate but coexisting zones of influence.
The two parties laid the foundations of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and together, in post-2003 talks for the Iraqi constitution, were able to present a united Kurdish front in Baghdad that successfully secured constitutionally-enshrined autonomy for the Kurdish region.
Alongisde the Change Movement (Gorran), the KDP and the PUK formed a new KRG cabinet in 2019. The stability of the KRG depends heavily on good relations between the parties, as well as the shares of Kurds in Iraqi governmental positions.
During his Newroz message last month, President Barzani invited political parties to come together and hold a meeting in an attempt to “put an end to harmful rivalries and disagreements.”
In February, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said he hoped “all the forces and parties in Kurdistan will unite in supporting and advocating for the constitutional framework of the Kurdistan Region and in providing the legitimate rights and demands of the people of Kurdistan."
Shahab also added that “the world” is encouraging Kurdish unity. “On the other hand, our rivals and opponents have high hopes for conflict between the political parties in Kurdistan.”
“That's why I think these steps will have a positive impact and will be a way forward of a better relationship in the future."
PUK politburo member Mustafa Chawrash encouraged unity between the two parties and said success and shortcomings are present on both sides.
“The problems between PUK and PDK, or other parties, are that sometimes no one listens to the other. Look at parliament: parliament is for lawmaking, not disputes. All of us have to try” he told Rudaw’s Shahyan Tahsin on Thursday.
US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller met with a number of Kurdistan Region leaders late January, where “the Ambassador encouraged [Iraqi Kurdistan Region] IKR leaders to promote unity among Kurdish political parties to ensure greater security and stability,” a statement from the embassy said.
