President Bafel Jalal Talabani Participates in MERI Forum 2023

P.U.K 12:58 PM - 2023-10-11

President Bafel Jalal Talabani

Bafel Jalal Talabani, president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), stated during a panel discussion at the MERI Forum 2023 regarding Iraq's political system and state-building, "The PUK has a rich history of martyrs and strugglers. The new PUK leadership is composed of talented and seasoned individuals, and the PUK's primary objective is to maintain internal unity."

PUK’s role inside and outside the Kurdistan Region

Although there is a lot of freedom in Sulaymaniyah, the PUK is currently under the direction of a young leadership as part of a strategy to uphold peace and prosperity for the Kurdish people. However, we aim to expand this freedom throughout the entire Kurdistan Region, and we must not forget that the new PUK wishes to focus on young people and women based on their skills, as these two groups are vital to the PUK, and we will work harder to serve them over the next five years.

Regarding the Fifth Congress of the PUK, President Bafel stated, "Despite the difficult circumstances, the PUK held a very successful congress due to the participation of 16,000 cadres in the creation of the new PUK programme for the future. During the congress, the three councils of leadership, supreme interests, and support were also established, each with a distinct function. Particularly, the Support Council serves as a mini-parliament within the party and oversees our activities." 

He further said: “The PUK is an honest and reliable partner in the government, and it seeks to build rather than undermine it. The difference between the PUK and some other parties is that they want to remove the party from the government and courts so they can fulfill their duties properly and provide the Kurdistan Region with more freedom.“

The PUK President also addressed the parties' unity, stating, "The PUK desires to begin a new chapter with the parties after the congress. In this regard, we will announce an initiative for unity, and a PUK delegation will soon visit all Kurdish parties."

PUK’s relations with Iraqi parties

In reference to the PUK's relations with Iraqi parties, President Bafel said: “The PUK has strengthened its relations with the Iraqi parties over the past two years, and the foundation of these is our honesty.”

President Bafel also attributed their success in fostering closer ties with the Iraqi government and political parties to their desire to serve the Iraqi people alone. 


"It is better for Kurdish parties to unite in Baghdad and stand up for the rights of our people. By working together, we can also strengthen the Kurdistan Regional Government and help it overcome its problems. The PUK has never desired two administrations in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region and has always viewed it as its last option," President Bafel said.

Regarding the significance of the cities in the Kurdistan Region to PUK, President Bafel stated: "PUK does not view any Kurdish city with different eyes. Zakho and Duhok are as important to PUK as Sulaymaniyah." However, we will not permit any party to betray Sulaymaniyah."

PUK's relations internationally

President Bafel Jalal Talabani has stated that the PUK is dedicated to strengthening international relations. The international relations of the PUK are at a very high level, and after the congress, we will work to strengthen them even further. However, if a country believes it can negotiate with us using drones, we reject this and believe dialogue is preferable." 

"We will not be able to comply with requests from nations if President Mam Jalal is unable to do so," he further said.

We must express our appreciation to the international community for always standing by our side and guiding us in the right direction. When it came to the unity of the Peshmerga forces, which is also a PUK demand, we occasionally disregarded the PUK's requests and suggestions. Nonetheless, the PUK has already reformed all of its troops and called for the union of the 70 and 80 forces so that the Kurdistan Regional Government has a formidable unified force. 

At the conclusion of the forum, the PUK President stated, "The PUK wants to serve the people, it wants elections, it wants to start a new chapter with the parties, it wants to serve the youth and women, and as the PUK, we apologize to our nation for not being able to serve them adequately. Additionally, other parties should apologize to the nation. I would also like to thank the organizers of the suggestions to the PUK MERI Forum for allowing me to have an open dialogue with you."


PUKMEDIA