ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) meetings around the formation of the Kurdistan Region’s government cabinet are set to resume soon, according to top officials from both parties.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Qubad Talabani, who leads the PUK negotiating delegation, told The New Region on Monday that he has “asked to resume meetings between the KDP and the PUK this week” relating to the new government cabinet’s formation.

Talabani added that they have talked to the head of the KDP’s negotiating delegation, Hoshyar Zebari, “to try to hold the KDP and PUK’s meeting this week in order to get closer to the formation of a cabinet.”

Zebari, for his part, reiterated that the meetings between the two sides have so far been positive and affirmed that efforts will continue to form the new cabinet as soon as possible. The KDP official said that he thinks “we are close to forming the new government cabinet, and we will resume high-level talks at the nearest time.”

The KDP and PUK emerged as the main parties from the October 20 parliamentary elections, gaining 39 and 23 seats, respectively. The Kurdistan Region’s newly elected members of parliament were sworn in early December, officially commencing their legislative duties.

The two sides met at the executive level in late April, when Kurdistan Region Prime Minister and Deputy KDP President Masrour Barzani met with Bafel Talabani, the leader of the PUK, in Dukan. Prior to which sources told The New Region that the meetings will be decisive and will see discussions around “the distribution of posts.”

A “final draft” outlining the formation of the cabinet was reached between the two parties on March 18, which has been followed by multiple rounds of talks since between the two election winners with a similar agenda to the upcoming talks.