At a graduation ceremony at Salahaddin University-Erbil on Thursday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani denied that the reactivation of the Kurdistan Region Parliament was aimed against any specific Kurdish political party.

“The aim of this process was to preserve the legitimate status of the Kurdistan Region and its institutions. It was not directed against any individual or political party, but rather was intended to restore the trust of the people of Kurdistan, including voters, all communities, and all political parties,” he said.

“I would like to express my appreciation to those parliamentarians who courageously fulfilled their moral, legal, and national duties and participated in the reactivation of parliament.

“I hope that all political parties in Kurdistan will approach this process with a sense of national responsibility, support this step, and, in light of President Masoud Barzani’s call, return to parliament and participate in discussions on forming the new KRG Cabinet.

“This will enable us, together, to better serve the people of Kurdistan and make our Kurdistan stronger and more prosperous.”

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) withdrew from the KRG last Thursday after the Kurdistan Democratic Party (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. So far, no such meeting has taken place, and the PUK has refused to recognize the reactivation of the parliament.