The President of the Kurdistan Region presides at the meeting of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

President Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, with the presence of Pavel Talabani, the Co-President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan on Monday, November 9, 2020, in the Kurdistan Region, presided over a meeting between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

After welcoming and thanking the two delegations, His Excellency Mr. Barzani, shed light on the wide-ranging political situation, the situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and the difficulties the people of the Kurdistan Region have faced; in particular, the economic and financial problems as a result of the outbreak from the coronavirus that have affected the world, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

His Excellency stressed the importance of joint action between all political parties in the Kurdistan Region, especially between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He expressed the readiness of the Kurdistan Region Presidency to provide support and assistance for the success of joint action and cooperation between all parties.

Both delegations engaged in a frank and responsible dialogue on all issues, and emphasized the shared responsibility they bear towards the political process and governance in the Kurdistan Region. The two sides also agreed on the need to take serious and practical steps to solve the problems, and to devote all their efforts to confront these matters and support the institutions of the Kurdistan Region in serving the citizens.

The security situation and regard to the political and constitutional entity of the Region occupied another part of the meeting. The two sides agreed that protecting the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region is a duty for all parties.

The two parties affirmed their support for the preparations by the Iraqi Federal Government and the concerned authorities for the success of early elections in Iraq. In this context, the cooperation and coordination between representatives of the Kurdistan Region in Baghdad were highly evaluated and it was emphasized coordination would continue.

In another part of the meeting, the implementation of the political and administrative agreements between the two sides was evaluated, including the issue of decentralization in the Kurdistan Region. The two parties affirmed their commitment to the existing political agreement and the work program of the ninth cabinet for the Kurdistan Regional Government to embody decentralization in the region, transfer the authorities to lower levels, shoulder joint responsibility, eliminate red tape in conducting citizens' transactions and providing projects and public services. In this regard, the steps taken were evaluated as positive, with an emphasis on continuing joint work to implement all agreements. It was decided to adopt appropriate mechanisms to achieve this purpose.

At the conclusion of the meeting, it was emphasized to continue joint work and cooperation within the institutions of the Kurdistan Region in the service of the citizens and for the purpose of overcoming the difficult circumstances that burden the people of the Kurdistan Region.