Elham Ahmad, foreign relations co-chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), said that she met with Tuncer Bakirhan, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
“We discussed important issues regarding the Kurdish cause and relations with the peoples of the Middle East region,” Ahmad said on X. “Our view on this was shared that dignified peace is the foundation of this relationship.”
Their meeting comes with Kurds hopeful that a renewed peace effort will end four decades of conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has indicated a willingness to lay down arms in exchange for greater political and cultural recognition of Kurds.
DEM Party has been mediating efforts between Ankara and the PKK, including visiting and holding talks with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who issued a historic message in February calling on the group to convene a congress and “make the decision to integrate with the state and society; all groups should lay down their arms and the PKK should dissolve itself.”
The PKK initially demanded the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now calls for autonomy. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey.
Turkey views the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces - Rojava’s de facto army - as the Syrian front for the PKK and also considers them terrorists.
Earlier in March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the PKK to seize the “historic opportunity” to end the 40-year conflict and dissolve. “Otherwise, we will look to finalize our strategy of destroying terrorism at its source,” he warned.
