Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani speaks at the Sulaymaniyah Forum.
Nechirvan Barzani says Kurdistan cabinet talks moving in right direction
SULAYMANIYAH — Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said talks to form a government were moving in the right direction, the third senior statement in four days suggesting progress after 23 months of deadlock.
“I cannot say when the government will be formed, but I can say that good meetings have been held so far and we are now moving in the right direction,” he told a news conference at the Slemani Summit, an annual economic forum, pointing to recent meetings between Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and to contacts between security officials. “We are happy that there is currently a good atmosphere between the PUK and the KDP,” he said. “What I want to say is that I am happy there is now a better atmosphere among the political forces of Kurdistan, including between the PUK and the KDP. We hope this will lead to a good outcome.”
Talabani said much the same on Sept. 15 after meeting British Consul General Holly Vere, saying efforts had been intensified and that he hoped the parties would reach a final agreement soon and form a service-oriented government based on genuine partnership.
KDP spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed said on Wednesday that the two parties had already agreed several points and intensified discussions on what remains. “We expect that in the coming days the obstacles to forming the government will be removed,” he said, calling on the parties to take the Region’s circumstances into account and work toward broader unity so institutions can function.
Nothing has followed from previous rounds of optimism. The Region has had no new cabinet since the election of Oct. 20, 2024, the longest delay since the KRG was established, in which the KDP won 39 of 100 seats, the PUK 23 and New Generation 15, leaving no majority. The PUK and New Generation formed a parliamentary alliance earlier this year with 38 seats between them, one fewer than the KDP, and other opposition parties said they would stay out of government.