PUK Participates in Founding Congress of the Dutch Progressive Party

PUKMEDIA

The founding congress of the Dutch Progressive Party.

A delegation from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), comprising Bakhtiar Bakr and Shakhawan Salih Mirza, attended the founding congress of the Dutch Progressive Party on Saturday at the invitation of the Dutch Labour Party.

On the sidelines of the congress, the delegation also held a number of meetings with Dutch political counterparts to discuss issues of mutual interest and future cooperation.

Speaking to PUKMEDIA, Bakhtiar Bakr described the congress as a historic event, marking the merger of two major Dutch political parties with long histories in both government and opposition: the Labour Party and the Green Left Party.

“Following the integration of their parliamentary groups in recent years and their participation in recent elections on a joint list, the two parties decided to unite formally and continue their political and parliamentary work under a single name and organisational framework,” Bakr said.

He explained that the congress officially announced the establishment of a new political force, the Dutch Progressive Party.

Bakr noted that recent opinion polls in the Netherlands place the newly established party ahead of its political rivals. According to those surveys, the party would be expected to secure the largest number of seats in parliament if early elections were held.

Addressing future relations between the PUK and the new party, Bakhtiar Bakr said that the Dutch Progressive Party would succeed the Labour Party as the PUK’s sister party.

“Since the PUK is a sister party to the Labour Party, the new party will continue that partnership and participate in the same international forums of which the PUK is a member,” he said.

He added that the new organisation would continue to follow a progressive social-democratic agenda, maintaining the same political direction, leadership and commitment to democratic values.

“The PUK congratulates the Dutch Progressive Party on its establishment. We look forward to strengthening cooperation and implementing joint initiatives and projects in the near future,” Bakr said.



PUKMEDIA