ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday and discussed reviving the peace process between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“I reiterated the importance of reviving the peace process in Türkiye as a path toward stability and lasting peace. I emphasized this historic opportunity must be seized, and the PKK must respond positively to Mr. Öcalan’s call,” Barzani said in a post on X.
The two met on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.
“We also discussed President Erdogan’s recent meeting with the DEM Party delegation and its significance for dialogue and peace,” Barzani added.
Erdogan on Thursday met with a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, which has been mediating peace talks between the PKK and the state. The meeting was an important step in the negotiations that have progressed slowly since the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire more than a month ago and said it was committed to their leader Abdullah Ocalan’s call for the group to disband.
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now calls for autonomy. It is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Barzani described the peace process as “historic,” praised Erdogan’s role, and affirmed the Kurdistan Region’s readiness to support its success.
The PKK has accused Turkey of continuing attacks and said that a one-sided ceasefire is not enough. Erdogan has said that the PKK must disband “without further delay.”
A statement from the Turkish government on Erdogan’s meeting with Barzani did not explicitly mention the PKK, but noted that “President Erdogan said that the solidarity between Turkey and the regional administration in the fight against terrorist organizations is important.”
The two also discussed broader relations, according to the Turkish statement.
“President Erdogan stated that the immediate completion of the government formation process in Northern Iraq [Kurdistan Region] is important for the stability of the region, and that Turkey is closely monitoring the situation in Kirkuk,” the statement read.
The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary elections in October. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) topped the polls though neither won a majority. They are still engaged in government formation talks.
