Barzani discusses stalled peace process with gov’t, HDP

ANKARA

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Masoud Barzani (C) meets Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ (R) and HDP deputy Leyla Zana (L) on Dec. 10, 2015 during his visit to the Turkish capital Ankara. AA Photo

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq leader Masoud Barzani said he discussed the suspended talks between the Turkish government and the Kurdish problem-focused People’s Democratic Party (HDP) during his two-day trip to Ankara, expressing his hope for the resumption of the Kurdish peace process. 

Barzani met with a delegation from the HDP and other Kurdish-focused political parties and politicians after his official meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. 

In his meeting with journalists from the Iraqi Kurdish press, Barzani said he discussed the current state of the peace process in his talks in Ankara. “If only the peace process in Turkey were not in that situation. I have discussed this with Turkish officials. The commencement of the process has become hope for everyone in the region, including us. There are now obstacles before this,” Barzani said, without elaboration. 

“But in the end this process should continue, because the problems should be resolved peacefully. I think there is a need for sufficient time for this,” he said. 

Turkey and the KRG will always need each other as two neighbors, Barzani said. “Sometimes problems occur for the Kurdistan region. Turkey can play a role for the resolution of these problems. Sometimes the opposite can take place. We always need each other.” 

In the meantime, a written statement issued by the HDP said the two parties discussed the relationship between Kurdish people in the region, as well the developments in Syria and the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).