“The delegation will meet with Masoud Barzani and Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil on Sunday, February 16. The delegation will then travel to Sulaimani on Monday, February 17 to meet with PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan] leader Bafel Talabani, Qubad Talabani, and PUK officials,” the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) said in a statement.
It includes lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Sirri Sureyya Onder, who have visited Ocalan twice in the secluded Imrali island prison in recent weeks, as well as pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) co-chair Keskin Bayindir. The DEM Party lawmakers have also held meetings with Turkish political parties.
The DEM Party is mediating talks between the Turkish state and the PKK in a bid to end hostilities. Details of the process are not clear but the pro-Kurdish party’s officials have said it aims to bring peace to the country.
The visit to Erbil and Sulaimani will come amid an anticipated historic announcement by Ocalan, which the DEM Party hopes will bring a “permanent and comprehensive” solution to the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
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.
On Friday, top PKK commander Murat Karayilan said that the group will not heed a disarmament call from Ocalan without a physical meeting with him and a guarantee that Kurdish rights in Turkey will be safeguarded.
While expectations for these peace talks are high, clashes between Turkey and the PKK persist. Ankara regularly carries out attacks on alleged PKK positions in the Kurdistan Region while Karayilan has stated that peace cannot begin until the fighting stops.
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.
