Barzani to talk PKK, says minister of KRG

Prominent political figure and Minister of Education in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, Safeen Dizayee has said they are ready to talk about solutions to the terrorism problem during KRG leader Massoud Barzani’s visit to Turkey this week, however they see the political solution of the problem inside Turkey.

“The root cause of the problem is inside Turkey, so we would like to see a solution coming from within Turkey,” Dizayee said.

Barzani, leader of the KRG, is expected to arrive in Turkey tomorrow and is set to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul on Nov. 5.

Barzani’s visit comes at a time of increased pressure from Turkey on the KRG regarding the infiltration of Turkey’s southern borders by militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) based in the mountainous areas of northern Iraq.

Ahead of Barzani’s visit, Dizayee yesterday attended an international conference in Istanbul titled “The Istanbul Forum.”

Not only Turkey, but also the KRG is affected by the PKK problem in the region, Dizayee said. “For the last couple of years numerous operations against the PKK have been conducted, but the PKK problem still exists. We are ready to talk about solutions, it is an open agenda, we can talk and discuss, but we see the solution inside Turkey,” he said.

‘We advised Syrian Kurds’

Dizayee said they have advised the Kurds in Syria “to keep a low profile” during anti-regime protests in the country.

“The Kurds in Syria have been relatively quiet as a result of the developments in Syria, we have advised them to keep a low profile. However they are also part of the reform process,” he said.

There is a very low chance that the Syrian administration might be using the PKK card against Turkey, he said. “The Syrian regime does not have influence on the PKK anymore as it once did in the past. I don’t think the relation is totally eradicated, but it is not like it was,” Dizayee said.