During the19th Mesopotamia Medicine Congress in Erbil on Thursday, President Masoud Barzani called on all political parties to engage “in dialogue and respect the electoral result, and most importantly, to build the future government” after the October 20 elections.

“We are proud to say that they took place in a very calm and free atmosphere, without any major issues,” he said, referring to the elections. “ Many people expected significant challenges to arise, potentially preventing the elections from happening at all.”

“The words spoken before the election and those after were different, but the election has now taken place, and the results have been announced.”

He underlined that the new cabinet should be based on the principles of one region, one Parliament, and one peshmerga force.

“Additionally, there must be a serious effort to prevent illegal activities such as the production or trafficking of controlled substances, terrorism, and disregard for the law. Boundaries should be set for these issues, and the law must be prioritized,” he said.

Several diplomatic missions – including those of the United States, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands – have called for a swift government formation.

Read More: United States Encourages Quick Formation of KRG's Tenth Cabinet

President Barzani also underlined that the upcoming government must strive for self-reliance and focus on water issues. “While oil is important, it could be depleted tomorrow or the day after, but agriculture and tourism are resources that do not run out. 

“Hopefully, we will not face a crisis, but all indications suggest that water will become a major issue in the future,” he added.

The two-day 19th Mesopotamia Medicine Congress included 1,000 participants from all over the world.