ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani on Sunday received a pro-Kurdish delegation to discuss the Kurdish issue in Turkey and renewed efforts for peace with the delegation having recently met jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan twice.
“The guest delegation expressed their views on the political situation and the peace process in Turkey and the details and results of their meeting with Mr. Abdullah Ocalan … and also conveyed the contents of the message of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan to President Barzani,” a statement from Barzani’s office said.
The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) delegation included lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Sirri Sureyya Onder, who have met Ocalan twice since December.
During the meeting, Barzani “stressed the importance of the peace process as the only correct path to reach a solution,” the statement said, and he called on “all parties to intensify their efforts to reach a conclusion” while offering his assistance in the process.
The DEM Party is mediating talks between the Turkish state and the PKK in a bid to end hostilities. Details of the process are unclear but the pro-Kurdish party’s officials have said it aims to bring peace to the country.
Keskin Bayindir, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) who was also among the delegation, told reporters in Erbil that Barzani’s viewpoints regarding the peace process are “very important” to the Kurdish people.
“President Barzani supports the peace talks and his position is a source of pride and happiness for us,” Bayindir said.
The delegation is also set to meet with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday, before departing to Sulaimani to meet Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani and the Kurdistan Region’s Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, according to a DEM Party statement.
Turkish officials chiefly view the DEM Party as the political wing of the PKK, but the party has denied any ties with the armed group.
The PKK has said that it will not heed any calls from Ocalan to lay down arms unless he physically meets with their leadership and is released from jail.
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now advocates for autonomy. Turkey classifies the group as a terrorist organization.
