The Kurdistan Region’s ruling parties have been at loggerheads in recent months over the Region’s parliamentary elections, the transparency of the oil and local income of the provinces under their influence, and the assassination of a former PUK colonel in Erbil in October.
“In order to strengthen the relations between the PUK and the KDP, and exchange views of both sides to resolve the outstanding issues, we have decided to hold a meeting between the PUK delegation and the KDP in Sulaimani on Saturday, so that we can resolve these issues on the negotiation table,” PUK Spokesperson Soran Jamal Taher told Rudaw's Peshawa Bakhtiyar and other reporters on Thursday.
The recent escalation in the tensions between both governing parties has led to PUK’s boycotting of government’s weekly meetings headed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. Qubad Talabani, deputy PM and a senior member of the PUK, has also stopped attending the meetings of the Council of Ministers.
In addition to the internal conflict, the two sides will also discuss the issues between Erbil and Baghdad and ways to resolve the current disputes, according to Taher.
The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against the payment of the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements by Baghdad, claiming it violates the 2021 Iraqi Budget Law.
The PUK spokesperson said that the court’s decision creates instability for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and distrust between the two governments.
Despite working together in the KRG, the two parties have established control over different parts of the Region, often being referred to as the “Yellow Zone” and “Green Zone.“ The KDP is dominant in Erbil and Duhok provinces, while the PUK rules Sulaimani and Halabja.
