PUK President: Our Responsibility is to Collaborate Harmoniously

President Bafel's Media Office

PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani.

On Kurdistan Flag Day, President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Jalal Talabani issued a message saying, "Our responsibility is to collaborate harmoniously, guided by our revered flag, embodying both national and Kurdish values, to build a more promising tomorrow."

President Bafel's message said:

"We stand with hands on our hearts before the Kurdistan flag and honor the brave individuals who selflessly gave their lives in pursuit of Kurdish progress and the flying of our flag.

Our responsibility is to collaborate harmoniously, guided by our revered flag and embodying both national and Kurdish values, to build a more promising tomorrow. We must foster a stronger sense of unity and harmony while actively promoting the ideals of peace. Indeed, this is the one method through which we can uplift the spirits of our fallen heroes and reciprocate the unwavering devotion and resilience of our cherished people."

Earlier in the day, the PUK's Political Bureau also published a message for Kurdistan Flag Day and said: 

"December 17 is Kurdistan Flag Day. On this magnificent day, we honor all Kurdish martyrs who died to hoist this sacred flag. We also honor all Kurdish peshmergas, political prisoners, and Kurdistan strugglers.

All political parties and the Kurdish people must unite for lofty goals and public interests to wave this flag, which symbolizes resistance and unity, and defend the Kurdistan Region's experience and structure."

On December 17, the Kurdish people celebrate Kurdistan Flag Day, and all over the Kurdistan Region, schools and workplaces raise the Kurdish flag.

In 1946, when Kurdish leader Qazi Muhammed declared the creation of the Republic of Mahabad in Mahabad, a Kurdish city in western Iran, the Kurdistan flag was first raised. Despite the brief existence of the Republic, the flag came to represent Kurdish nationalism and the battle against oppressors.

The Kurdistan Parliament marked December 17 as Kurdistan Flag Day in 2004. Since then, that day has been commemorated annually throughout the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdish flag's major feature is the blazing golden sun emblem in the middle. Its emblem's sun disc has twenty-one rays, and red stands for the blood of the martyrs and the ongoing struggle for freedom and respect. Kurdistan's inherent beauty, vigour, and brightness are embodied in yellow, which represents the people's source of energy and light. The sun is a prominent and ancient emblem. Twenty-one sunbeams mark the Kurdish new year, Newroz, which occurs on March 21.



PUKMEDIA