PUK to change its minister of Peshmerga affairs, fill another government position

Other government positions, designated for the PUK, are still under discussions, the minister added.

Kurdistan 24 2022/12/26 13:02

Ahmed Askary (top right) replacing Khalid Shwany (top left). Rebaz Berkoty (bottom right) is set to take over ministry of Peshmerga Afffairs, currently held by Shorish Ismael (bottom left). (Photo: Designed by Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has submitted new names for the positions of Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and chief negotiator with Baghdad, according to a government official.

Rebaz Berkoty, the current head of the PUK bloc at the Erbil Provincial Council, has been nominated by the PUK to replace Shorish Ismael, the Minister of Peshmerga Affairs, Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed, told reporters on Sunday in Erbil.

Berkoty is a suitable person for the position, Minister Ahmed said.

Also, Ahmed Askary has been selected as the new Minister of State for Negotiation Affairs with the Federal Government. Previously, he was a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council. Askary will be replacing Khalid Shwany, the newly inaugurated Iraqi minister of justice.

The cabinet reshuffle is expected to be approved by the Kurdistan Parliament, but no date has been set yet, according to the minister.

Other government positions, designated for the PUK, are still under discussions, the minister added.

“Any participating party in the government is free to choose anyone for the posts they hold,” Saadi Ahmed Pira, a PUK official, told reporters on Sunday.

The PUK and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the two main parties of the current government cabinet, have experienced rocky relations over a number of issues, including the cabinet reshuffle.

“We have overcome the political stalemate with the KDP,” Pira said on Sunday, stressing that differences have to be resolved through dialogue and compromise.

Headed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the ninth KRG cabinet was inaugurated in July 2019, placing a multi-sectoral reform program at the center stage of its agenda.