PUK Official: Three Years On, PUK Still Calls for Unified Kurdish Political Council

PUKMEDIA

Latif Nerweyi, Member of the Leadership Council.

A senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Leadership Council has confirmed that the party launched an initiative three years ago to establish a political council bringing together all Kurdish parties in the Kurdistan Region. The aim was to strengthen the Kurdish position in Baghdad and promote unity across the Region. However, the initiative did not materialise due to a lack of engagement from some key political parties.

Latif Nerweyi, member of the PUK Leadership Council and Head of PUK Media Board, told PUKMEDIA: “Following the Iraqi parliamentary elections, the Shia' bloc once again formed the Coordination Framework to unify the positions of the winning parties and select a candidate for prime minister. Similarly, the Sunni bloc established the National Political Council, which includes the main Sunni parties. This raised questions among the political and cultural figures in Kurdistan about why the Kurdish parties have not agreed on a similar framework to unify their positions and representation in Baghdad.”

He added: “On 24 November 2022, the PUK, under the leadership of President Bafel Jalal Talabani, launched an initiative calling on all Kurdish political forces to convene a meeting at Dukan Resort, attended by 22 Kurdish parties. The PUK presented its proposal to form a political council. While the parties present agreed with the proposal, it was not implemented due to the non-participation of several key parties in the Region.”

Nerweyi stressed that forming such a political council today would significantly strengthen the Kurdish position in Baghdad, foster unity within the Kurdistan Region, and help safeguard the Region against potential threats. He reiterated that this initiative, launched three years ago, remains the official stance of the PUK.



PUKMEDIA