PUK ministerial team to return to KRG cabinet sessions next week, says party official
The meeting was widely welcomed by the US, UK, and the Netherlands, who had for months urged both sides to overcome the impasse and work together.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Following six months of boycotting the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) weekly council of ministers meetings, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ministerial team will start attending the sessions next week, according to a senior PUK official.
Sa’adi Ahmed Pira, a senior PUK member, announced the decision after the party’s leadership council convened on Tuesday, presided by the party’s President Bafel Jalal Talabani, to discuss the latest political developments in the region.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani convenes a weekly council of ministers meetings. On Monday, for the first time in six months, PM Barzani met with his deputy, Qubad Talabani, in Erbil to discuss a path forward to resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.
The meeting was widely welcomed by the US, UK, and the Netherlands, who had for months urged both sides to overcome the impasse and work together.
The KRG ninth cabinet, headed by PM Barzani, is a coalition government, including members from the KDP, PUK, Change Movement, Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, and Iraqi Turkmen Front.
Revenue management and security concerns were among the grievances that caused recent tensions between two leading parties, who also control the lion’s share of the parliamentary seats.
Both the premier and President Nechirvan Barzani had previously called on the PUK team to return to the cabinet sessions, where they could address their concerns rather than isolating themselves.
Analysts believe a tension-free KDP-PUK relationship could be a source of stability for the Kurdistan Region, whose sixth parliamentary election hinges on the agreement of the major parties.