ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Qubad Talabani, the Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister and leading member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), expressed optimism about the process of forming a new coalition government with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The process will be “different” this time, he stressed.
In an interview with Rudaw on Thursday, Talabani stated that this time they had "deep and lengthy discussions with our brothers in the Kurdistan Democratic Party about a vision, a shared perspective for governance, and we've been able in the meetings that have taken place, both in the technical committee and in the high committee, to reach a common vision.”
The senior KRG official noted that despite the strong relationship binding the two parties, forming a coalition government between the KDP and the PUK is a challenge, however, this time, they aim to form the government in a different manner.
The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary elections in October. The KDP came out on top winning 39 seats in the 100-member parliament. The PUK came in second with 23 spots. Since no single party won a majority, a governing coalition will need to be formed, as has traditionally been the case.
Talabani emphasized on Thursday that decisions regarding government positions should also be made through “mutual understanding,” just like all other matters in the government and as has been the practice in governance so far.
"But certainly now we're gradually entering another stage where we discuss the cabinet formation. So I am optimistic about this process. It's true it's not easy, but we will form a government, we will announce it, and we hope that the next government will be the best government of the Kurdistan Region."
Talabani accordingly emphasized that they are making every effort to form the 10th government cabinet ahead of the Iraqi parliamentary elections, slated on November 11.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, who is also the KDP’s deputy leader, said that neither the KDP nor the PUK intends to delay the formation of the upcoming cabinet. President Barzani conveyed his hope that talks between the two parties would continue soon.
PUK spokesperson Saadi Ahmed Pira told Rudaw in late March that the distribution of posts in the new cabinet would be decided after Eid al-Fitr in early April, noting that both sides were “very close” to reaching an agreement.
The following is the full transcript of the interview with Qubad Talabani:
Rudaw: First, I want to ask some questions about Delphi. It was really surprising for me when you said in the panel that you're taking Delphi to Sulaimani. Delphi isn't coming, but your will take the forum there.
Qubad Talabani: Yes, this is the third time Kurdistan is coming to Delphi. This time we're moving the Delphi forum to Sulaimani, in May 18-19. God willing, an international economic forum will be held in Sulaimani, the Kurdistan Region.
This is a new partnership that you've been trying to establish here over these past few years, but you've also had many other meetings and discussions with Greek officials and with other countries. What will be the outcome of these meetings? What benefit will they have, if an ordinary person were to ask you?
Certainly, Greece is a country with many special characteristics, and some of these characteristics align with Kurdistan's characteristics. It's a country where tourism is one of the pillars of its economy, which we can learn a lot from. It's a country that has been able to very cleverly manage its agricultural sector and has become one of the countries that innovated in agro-tourism, they've been able to harmonize the agricultural sector with the tourism sector, just as we in the Kurdistan Region have now begun to work on this new sector [agro-tourism. And they are a country that has not been far from external problems and issues with neighbors, but they've been able to cleverly handle these files. So when we come here, we've always tried to strengthen bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and Greece, to expand them, to diversify them, and God willing, it will benefit the Kurdistan Region.
There are now direct flights between Athens and Erbil. Will this expand? Are efforts being made just for tourism? Are there any procedures or efforts to make it easier for people to get visas, or for Greek people to be able to visit Kurdistan?
Certainly, establishing a transportation line between Greece and the Kurdistan Region will help with trade, tourism, and the growth of political relations between both sides. This was one of the topics that we have discussed several times, during our previous visits to Delphi, with the Greek government and even with Aegean Airways which has now come to Kurdistan. We've requested this line to exist and hope it will expand. We hope it will include other cities in the Kurdistan Region as well, and we're happy with the growth of relations between Greece and the Kurdistan Region.
Let's ask some questions about the Kurdistan Region, especially about forming the new government. Mr. Qubad, we understood that the KDP and PUK had reached a stage where the tenth cabinet would be announced soon, but in your panel, you said it's not easy. What is the source of this difficulty, or why isn't it easy?
Who thinks that the formation of a government by the PUK and KDP easy? Of course, there is history, and there are deep relations between these two parties, but this time we wanted to form this government differently, not just sitting down and saying, ‘Here, you take this post and I'll take that post, and lets distribute positions.’ This time, we've had deep and lengthy discussions with our brothers in the Kurdistan Democratic Party about a vision, a shared perspective for governance, and we've been able in the meetings that have taken place, both in the technical committee and in the high committee, to reach a common vision. But certainly now we're gradually entering another stage where we discuss the cabinet formation. So I am optimistic about this process. It's true it's not easy, but we will form a government, we will announce it, and we hope that the next government will be the best government of the Kurdistan Region.
Will the tenth cabinet be announced before the Iraqi parliamentary elections?
I hope, and we are working towards ensuring that the Kurdistan Regional Government will be formed much earlier than the Iraqi parliamentary elections.
Does the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have any red lines regarding positions in the Kurdistan Region, or is this something that will be discussed and agreed upon?
We need to reach agreement on everything. Just as we've been able, after several meetings, to reach a shared vision for how to govern in the Kurdistan Region, in the same way we need to reach a shared vision on the positions within the next cabinet.
Is there discussion about the positions in parliament and the presidency of the Kurdistan Region?
Of course, we're talking about the Kurdistan Region and all the branches of power in the Kurdistan Region. Yes.
Mr. Qubad, there are two hot issues for Kurds right now, one in Northern Kurdistan [southeast Turkey] and one in Western Kurdistan [northeast Syria or Rojava]. The one in Northern Kurdistan is related to the ongoing dialogue between the DEM Party and [jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader] Mr. [Abdullah] Ocalan. Today, Pervin Buldan and Sirri Sureyya Onder met with the President of Turkey, which is another step forward. First, I want to know your opinion, and second, not just as Qubad Talabani but also as Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government?
We, in both capacities, both personally and as a party and government, are happy with the progress we see and hear in the dialogues between Turkey and the DEM Party toward resolving this issue that has truly been a problem for Kurdistan, for the North, for Turkey, for the region. So we are pleased that there has been progress in this process, and from the first day, in all ways - personally, as a party, and as a government - we have expressed our support and our readiness to assist this process.
One of the things that is constantly mentioned in Turkey, high-ranking Turkish officials say that Sulaimani has some relations with certain parties, including the PKK, and they say these relations must be ended. What is your response to these statements?
We feel that in general, there has been exaggeration in some Turkish circles about Sulaimani and about the threat Sulaimani poses to Turkey. This is a kind of inappropriate pressure in our opinion, and we have always tried to prove that we are not enemies of any party, that we want, as the Kurdistan Region, as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, as Sulaimani province, we want to be friends with everyone and we have no problems with any party.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was announced in Damascus on June 1, 1975, by the late President Mam Jalal Talabani and his comrades. The PUK's relationship with Syria was very strong. I am aware - correct me if I'm wrong - that even when Bashar al-Assad remained in power, the PUK kept its representation in Syria. My question is about the current stage - will the PUK maintain its representation? Does the Kurdistan Regional Government plan to have representation in Damascus?
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has not closed its representation in Syria and continues its relations, and there has been no change in the PUK's presence in Syria. The office is operational and in contact. Regarding the Kurdistan Regional Government, that's another matter, and I think it's one of the questions that the next cabinet can decide on.
For Western Kurdistan (Rojava), what efforts is the Kurdistan Regional Government making to help the Kurds of Rojava reach an agreement with the new Syrian authorities and protect Kurdish rights?
We must serve Rojava with action, support them in this process, assist them in any way we can, in whatever way they might need our help. And Syria's future is important for Iraq, for the Kurdistan Region, and we hope that the future of Syria will be a country where all components can live in peace, can live with dignity, where all parties, including Kurds, can have active representation at all levels of governance - in government, in the future parliament, and in the security apparatus as well. We have seen in the past that when any component is oppressed, the country fails. So I believe a golden opportunity has arisen for Syria to form a new government, to approve a new constitution, to create reconciliation among Syria's components, and for Syria to become again a country that is part of the community of nations.