Thread by @RudawEnglish

President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Jalal Talabani is talking at #ErbilForum2023

“I ask you, who in their right mind would like this?”
Bafel Talabani asks while addressing the different troubles facing Sulaimani.

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"We are not ready to attend the government’s cabinet meeting until these issues are resolved", Talabani added
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"We are ready to take any steps to resolve the situation, but come forth seriously" Talabi expressed his party's opennesss to solve the pending issues between the PUK and KDP
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"Can we not separate our problems? Let's solve other problems. If we cannot solve the bigger issues, let's start with the small ones," Talabani continued.
"Hopefully we will have no problems in the end."

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"It is okay for two parties to have differences… but when a country’s institutions are used to target one side, this is not right" Talabani added

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"We are not ready to attend the government’s cabinet meeting until these issues are resolved" Talabani talked about his party's stance if no steps are taken towards solving the pending issues

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"If we can agree on the laws and not conduct any childish manoeuvres, then we will be more than happy to hold elections," Talabani said, with the Kurdish ruling parties lacking a proper agreement on the Kurdistan Region's next elections.
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"Let's apply the same methods that we use in Baghdad. Why do we demand something from Baghdad but something else from here? I do not know," Talabani continued.
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"I know the deputy prime minister very well ... in the ISIS war, Qubad confronted his own political party. You were going to the cabinet meetings and you didn't know who was KDP, who was PUK, and who was Gorran," Talabani said.
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"He has paid the political price for that but he hasn't regretted it," Talabani spoke of Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Qubad Talabani.
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"Go and call him [Qubad Talabani], go and drink tea with him, ask him why is he boycotting the cabinet meetings?" Bafel Talabani said.
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"Is it normal for the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) or the Kurdistan Justice Group (KIJ) to want to withdraw from parliament? It would benefit me because it's less opposition, but do you think it is normal to want to withdraw?" Talabani asked, expressing concern.
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"We have few political problems, but our problems are serving the people," the PUK President said.
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"Erbil is about to send people to space but Sulaimani remains as itself," Talabani stressed, speaking about the inequality between KDP-dominated Erbil and PUK-dominated Sulaimani and calling for equality.
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"We respect everyone, we want to reach an agreement, and we are willing to give away every right of our party for the sake of our people," Talabani continued

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"Why should we wait for a foreigner to come and say 'come, come sit down' for us to resolve our issues," PUK's Talabani said about internal Kurdish tensions.
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"Kak Lahur [Talabany] is free to do as he wishes. Let him go establish a political party, he is not in the PUK. Democracy exists in our zone, let him go create a party," Bafel Talabani said following a statement from Lahur last week saying he remains PUK co-leader
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"Let us talk about how we can help our brothers in Rojava [northeastern Syria] … let us for peace between PKK and Turkey", Talabani addressed other Kurdish parties.
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"Baghdad is willing to cooperate with us. They only have one request, they are saying we will do our job and you do yours," Talabani stated, urging for an agreement with Baghdad.
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"I believe that we could serve the people of the Kurdistan Region through Baghdad," Talabani said in an answer to a question of why he visits Baghdad frequently.
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"I am surprised that two parties have two different intelligence offices… in what country does this happen?", Talabani said.

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"The foreigners want to help us but they're laughing at us," Talabani continued.
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"The reason for our close ties with Baghdad is that it should be so. We have to keep ties with our friends", Talabani said in response to a question about his party's close ties to Baghdad

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"I call on all of Kurdistan's political parties - come and let's conduct dialogue very seriously because our situation is very bad ... we need to resolve our issues and progress the Kurdish nation," Talabani said in his final message.
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