Erbil Forum: PUK says Kurdistan’s issues go beyond Erbil

Shafaq News/ The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) believes that resolving all of the Kurdistan Region’s issues cannot be confined to Erbil, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said on Thursday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the third Erbil Forum, organized by the Rudaw Research Center, the PUK leader emphasized that Iraq's constitution and laws secured Kurdish rights and the Kurdistan Region’s status, not only in Erbil or Al-Sulaymaniyah but also in Baghdad.

“In 2012, when former President Jalal Talabani fell ill and a series of events followed, Kurdish influence in Baghdad weakened, impacting the Kurdistan Region,” Talabani said. “The PUK has worked to restore the Kurds’ position in Baghdad and strengthen relations, which recently helped resolve the issue of Kurdistan Region employees' salaries there.”

Addressing the PUK’s ties with Iran, Talabani said relations are good with Iran, “just as the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has good relations with Turkiye,” adding, “Some try to portray PUK-Iran and KDP-Turkiye ties as binary opposites, but diplomacy is not black and white—there are always gray areas.”