Qubad Talabani: PUK Ready to Resume Talks on New KRG Cabinet Formation

Qubad Talabani's Media Office

Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region.

Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, said the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is ready to resume talks and pursue a genuine partnership in the formation of the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), stressing that the new cabinet must serve all regions without discrimination.

Speaking to the press during the ceremony honouring courageous journalists and guardians of truth in Sulaymaniyah, Talabani said at a press conference: “We are not happy that the process of forming the government has continued for so long. We believed from the very first and we still believe that the government should be formed quickly, a government that is in the interest of the Kurdish people and one that serve all regions of the Kurdistan Region without discrimination. At the same time, it must be a government in which the PUK is a real partner.”

He added: “We are ready to meet with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and we have never allowed the broader political situation — whether in our favour or not — to influence our position on the government formation process. We have followed the right path and have asked for a genuine partnership.”

“I think it is good to resume negotiations, and we are ready. Whether elections are repeated or the tenth cabinet is formed, we are prepared,” he said.

Regarding the nomination of candidates for positions in the new Iraqi cabinet, Talabani said: “We may have nominated candidates for government positions in Baghdad.”

The Kurdistan Region has yet to form a new cabinet after more than 18 months, due to ongoing political disputes between the two main parties - the PUK and KDP.

Although high-level meetings have taken place between the two parties, no final and concrete agreement has yet been reached. 



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