Shafaq News / The President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Bafel Talabani, issued a statement on Friday.

Talabani said, "Political disputes in the past caused the Kurdistan Region to experience difficult political and economic circumstances, which had a detrimental effect on the lives and wellbeing of our beloved people."

He added, "We want to act diplomatically and constructively for the sake of our people and to protect our region. Politics should be used to serve people, not divide them. It is clear that we have always favored unity and opposed conflict and division in every way. The PUK strives to advance the situation toward peace and reconciliation for the benefit of the citizens and to ensure a decent standard of living. The strength and national identity of the Kurds have been reflected in our politics."

"We will keep moving along this historical course without deviating. Our doors are open to all forces and parties who want to collaborate in a Kurdish spirit and beyond party interests to solve fundamental issues and serve the people impartially."

Talabani indicated, "We must all be conscious of the fact that cooperation among the political forces strengthens Kurdistan and that, for the sake of Kurdistan and its people, we must all fight together. We have a big duty to our country and its people, and we must understand that politics cannot be practiced with obstinacy and defamation. In the current bad status of the region, politics does not benefit anyone."

"The goal of confusing the public and provoking negative media coverage has never been to make them happy but rather to undermine their confidence in all political parties and the nation's democratic system", he concluded.