During an event organized by Chatham House in London on Wednesday, Hoshyar Zebari, a senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), underlined that dialogue between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the KDP has continued despite their differences.

The PUK withdrew from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) last Thursday after the KDP, joined by lawmakers from several other political factions, reactivated the Kurdistan Region Parliament the day before.

On Monday, President Masoud Barzani called on the PUK to sit down with the KDP to resolve outstanding issues over the formation of a new regional government.

Read More: KRG Calls on PUK Partners to Resume Work in Government

“Recently, on November 4, after we had really given up, we decided to hold a session of the elected Kurdistan Region Parliament,” Zebari said. 

“A quorum was secured, to the surprise of our friends and rivals. So now, at least, we have a parliament that is sitting. We won’t be able to say that we have nothing, and talks are still ongoing.

“[President Barzani] recently issued an appeal for getting back together, to come and try to form the government. But overall, we, as part of Iraq, suffer from the same problems as the Iraqi federal government.

”On Wednesday, the KRG Council of Ministers called on the PUK ministers to return to government meetings.

Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections were held on October 20, 2024, with the KDP leading with 39 seats, followed by the PUK with 23 seats, and the New Generation Movement with 15. 

“We had our election in October 2024,” Zebari said. “It was a very good election, very civilized, with high turnout. The results were certified by international, local, and Iraqi observers. There was no clear winner in this election.” 

No government has been formed since 2024, despite several meetings between the ruling KDP and PUK parties.

“Yes, the KDP had the majority with 39 seats, along with three seats representing minorities. The PUK had its share, the New Generation had its share, but we were unable to form a coalition government,” he added.

“Over the last two years, I personally was engaged and involved in these meticulous discussions and talks, and we agreed on everything: the policies of the government, its structure, the positions, transparency, economic and financial reforms, and reform of the security forces,” he added. 

“But we were unable to finalize [the unification of the administration], mainly because some people were looking for other factors to impact the balance of forces or to make alliances with some Iraqi factions or external actors.”

Read More: We Need Unity From the Kurdistan Region: U.S. Ambassador

On Wednesday, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Ambassador Tom Barrack also called on the Kurdish parties to resolve their differences.

“We need unity from the [Kurdistan Region]. We need unity not only from the KRG but with the KRG in Baghdad,” he concluded.