Moahmed Shia Al-Sudani Congratulates KDP on 80th Anniversary, Calls for Stronger Baghdad-Erbil Partnership Built on Trust

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani extended his congratulations on Sunday to the leadership, cadres, and supporters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party on the occasion of the party's 80th founding anniversary, honoring a political journey spanning decades and describing the KDP's role in Iraq's modern history as active, significant, and enduring.

"We extend our sincerest congratulations and felicitations to the leadership of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, its cadres, and its supporters, on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the party's founding, recalling a political journey that has extended across decades and an active presence in the history of modern Iraq," al-Sudani said.

He described the anniversary as an important milestone for recalling the trajectory of the Kurdish political movement, including the challenges and sacrifices it has faced, its role in confronting dictatorship, and its contribution to consolidating concepts of partnership, pluralism, and constitutional rights. "This anniversary represents an important milestone for recalling the journey of the Kurdish political movement, what it has witnessed of challenges and sacrifices, its role in combating dictatorship, and in consolidating concepts of partnership, pluralism, and constitutional rights," he said.

Al-Sudani used the occasion to frame the current moment as one demanding greater wisdom and responsibility from all of Iraq's political forces, placing the Baghdad-Erbil relationship within the broader imperative of protecting and stabilizing the Iraqi state. "Today, as we face a stage that requires more wisdom and responsibility, national partnership, dialogue, and adherence to the constitution remain essential pillars for protecting Iraq and enhancing its stability," he said, "and for building a solid relationship between Baghdad and Erbil based on trust and shared interests."

The Former prime minister's message strikes a tone that is simultaneously retrospective and forward-looking, acknowledging the weight of the KDP's historical contribution while directing attention toward the unfinished work of consolidating the Baghdad-Erbil relationship on durable constitutional foundations. His explicit reference to trust and shared interests as the basis for that relationship reflects the ongoing negotiations between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government over budget allocations, oil revenue sharing, and the constitutional status of disputed territories, all of which remain active points of engagement between the two governments.

Al-Sudani's congratulations arrive on a day when Iraq's broader political landscape has aligned around the KDP's anniversary in a notably unified manner, with figures ranging from former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and former Nineveh Governor Atheel al-Nujayfi to Khamis al-Khanjar of the al-Siyada Alliance all extending personal messages of tribute and partnership to President Masoud Barzani and the party's leadership.