Gorran, KSDP Share PUK's Views on Unity

P.U.K 03:52 PM - 2023-07-17

Press conference of the PUK and the KSDP delegations.

The Gorran Movement and the Kurdistan Social Democratic Party (KSDP) agree with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on uniting Kurdish parties in disputed areas. "The parties we met agreed with the PUK that the Kurdish parties should run on a single list in the Iraqi provincial council elections," says the head of the PUK's Election Agency.

Significant efforts were made by the former Iraqi Ba'ath regime to Arabize all residents of Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Salah ad Din, resulting in ongoing territorial disputes between Erbil and Baghdad in these regions. Despite the fact that Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution was primarily written to address the problem, the legislation has not yet been implemented. 

 

The unity of Kurdish parties will demonstrate these provinces' Kurdish identity

"The provincial elections will determine the identity of the provinces," Rizgar Haji Hama, head of the PUK's Election Agency, stated during a press conference following a meeting with the Kurdistan Social Democratic Party (KSDP). 

"If the Kurdish parties in the disputed territories band together, they can reclaim the provinces' Kurdish identity," he added.

"The Arab parties are taking advantage of our division, so the PUK wants to prevent this chance for these parties and wants to unite the Kurds in these areas to prove their Kurdistani identity," Hama stated.

 

The parties agree with the PUK

The head of the PUK's Election Agency also stated: "During our visits to the Kurdistan political parties, we urged them not to use the internal conflicts to divide the Kurds in the disputed areas. However, we must all separate our problems inside the Kurdistan Region from the issue of the disputed areas and strive for a unified stance in these areas."

"The parties we visited hold the same position as the PUK and favor the Kurdish parties running on a single list in the provincial council elections to win the most Kurdish votes in these regions," he said.

 

The Socialists and the PUK agree

At the same press conference, Hakim Rizgar Ghafur, Executive Director of the Political Bureau of the KSDP, stated: "The next elections are a crucial matter and are our only chance to restore the Kurdish identity to the disputed areas, particularly Kirkuk, where Kurds predominate."

In the upcoming provincial council elections in Iraq, "we concur with the PUK that the Kurdish parties should run on a single list and have a unified list to support the legitimate rights of our people," he said. Therefore, it is time for political forces and parties to set aside their differences and collaborate to advance national interests.

 

The significance of Kurdish forces' involvement was reiterated

Salar Lala Sarhad, Head of the PUK's Kurdistani Relations Board and a member of the delegation that met with the parties, stated to PUKMEDIA in this regard: "As part of the PUK's efforts to protect the Kurds' position and influence in disputed areas and their Kurdish identity in the upcoming Iraqi provincial council elections, we visited the Gorran Movement and the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party today under the supervision of Rizgar Haji Hama and in the presence of Dr. Miran Mohammed, members of the PUK Political Bureau."

"In our meetings, we stressed the importance of including Kurdish forces on a single list for Kirkuk, Mosul, Diyala, and Salah ad Din, and they readily agreed," he said.

A senior delegation of the PUK visited the Gorran Movement and the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party in Sulaymaniyah. Before this, the PUK met with the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Kurdistan Islamic Union, and Kurdistan Justice Group to discuss several crucial topics related to the situation in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the region.



PUKMEDIA