President Nechirvan Barzani attended the opening ceremony of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) Fifth Congress in Slemani today. Senior Iraqi officials and representatives, including the Iraqi President and party leaders, were also present.

The following is a readout of the speech delivered by President Nechirvan Barzani at the congress:

Honorable Bafel Jalal Talabani,
The President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,
Dear participants and members of the PUK Fifth Congress,

Good morning,

I am pleased to participate with you in the opening ceremony of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s Fifth Congress. I congratulate all the members and supporters of the PUK on the congress and wish you success. I hope the congress will bring positive outcomes for the political situation in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Here, on this important day, we remember, with utmost respect and honor, the late President Mam Jalal, may his soul rest in peace. The PUK is the legacy of Mam Jalal and must continue in the same spirit, thought and direction, for mutual understanding, solidarity and the resolution of problems, and to protect the public interest.

The PUK has a prominent role in the Kurdistan liberation movement. In the era of independence, together with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), it is the two main forces that have shaped the Kurdistan Region’s experience and achievements. With the participation and cooperation of the Kurdistani Front and other political forces and parties, they forged a new history for the people of Kurdistan.

The PUK is still one of the main forces in the political process in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, which places a great national responsibility on its shoulders. Together with the political forces, parties and communities in Kurdistan, they all have the duty to maintain unity and solidarity and work together to protect the constitutional rights and achievements of the Kurdistan Region.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The experience of the PUK and KDP working together and the cooperation and brotherhood between President Masoud Barzani and the late President Mam Jalal have proven that success lies in unity, solidarity and working together. The success of the Kurdistan Uprising, the establishment of federalism and many of the rights of the people of Kurdistan in the Iraqi Constitution, the prosperity and development of the Kurdistan Region, were a direct product of this cooperation, solidarity and brotherhood.

Now, to overcome all the difficulties, to solve the problems, to protect the achievements and constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region, the only way we have is to continue to cooperate. The Kurdistan Region’s political parties and communities should work together here and in Baghdad. The strength and survival of all of us lies in unity and solidarity; the contrary leads to the loss and weakness of the Kurdistan Region.

The necessity at this stage and the challenges and dangers facing the Kurdistan Region require all political forces and parties to put aside all their differences. Let us strengthen the Kurdistan Region, and let us all be strong and united in Baghdad. That must be the common goal for all of us.

It is normal for the parties to have political rivalries and differences in their views, but a common interest must bring everyone together for a shared goal, which is to protect the experience, rights and constitutional achievements of the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan Region is strong when its political parties are united, its institutions are independent, protected and respected, and there is no political interference in the affairs of the institutions, the Peshmerga or the security forces.

The Kurdistan Region is strong when the political parties put the highest interests of the people and the country before any other interest. Party political competition should not be a threat to the political and constitutional status of the Kurdistan Region.

Dear Attendees,

Since the Uprising, the Kurdistan Region, despite all the ups and downs and shortcomings, has been a model in the wider region and attracted the attention and respect of the world.

Democracy, freedoms, human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of the press, coexistence, mutual acceptance, tolerance, religious and ethnic pluralism are all shared characteristics, principles and values that connect the Kurdistan Region with the developed world and have become a source of respect and pride for the people of Kurdistan in Iraq and around the world.

We in the Kurdistan Region must always hold on to these human values and principles. The political forces, parties, authorities and institutions of the Kurdistan Region must work to strengthen them and make them the main foundation of our thoughts, actions, work and political, educational and social life.

Elections, as the main basis for the legitimacy of power and governance, are the first and foremost need for the Kurdistan Region. All political parties must work to ensure that the Kurdistan parliamentary elections are held successfully next February.

A strong Kurdistan Region can have a better role, presence and influence in Baghdad and throughout Iraq. It can better defend its constitutional rights. It can have a better and stronger place in the region and in the world. Therefore, the first duty of the PUK and KDP is to work with all other political forces and parties in the Kurdistan Region to make the elections a success and not to delay them.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is very good and essential that the Kurdistan Regional Government is in constant dialogue with the Federal Government of Iraq to resolve the issues. Although there is some progress in the negotiations, because of the problems with the implementation of the budget law and sending the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements, as well as the stoppage of oil export, the Kurdistan Region is now in a difficult financial situation. The situation has had a tough impact on the lives of citizens.

We stress that the Kurdistan Region wants to resolve all its problems and differences with Baghdad through dialogue and understanding on the basis of the Constitution. We expect the Iraqi Federal Government to deal with the Kurdistan Region in accordance with the political agreements, laws, Constitution and federal system. The Kurdistan Region’s budget and salaries should not be the casualty of political conflicts.

The political parties that make up the federal government must help and support Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani to implement the political agreements and the budget law. All parties and forces in Iraq must know that creating financial problems for the Kurdistan Region will not serve Iraq.

The peace, stability and progress of the Kurdistan Region and any other part of Iraq is the peace, stability and progress of the whole of Iraq. We in the Kurdistan Region look at the whole of Iraq with this spirit and understanding, which will benefit the Iraqi people and all its communities. An Iraq that unites all of us without discrimination, including all its communities. Depriving any Iraqi community weakens their commitment to the country.

We must all learn from the past in Iraq. The failure of the Kurdistan Region and any other region and community in Iraq has not and will never mean success for any other community or part of Iraq. Iraq’s human and natural resources are a great strength. Together, we can make Iraq a strong country in the region and the world. If there is a real understanding and political will for this, Iraq will certainly become that Iraq.

Just as unity and solidarity in the Kurdistan Region is the basis of our success, so the participation of different Iraqi communities, regardless of ethnicity and religion, in the political and administrative power of the country, will place Iraq in its true position. It will be a factor in its own and the wider region’s peace, stability and progress.

Finally, I would like to congratulate the PUK again on its Fifth Congress and I wish you every success. I hope that the results and decisions of your congress will strengthen the unity and solidarity of the political parties in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Thank you very much.