Senior Kurdish leaders this week met with Osman Baydemir, a prominent former Kurdish lawmaker and former mayor of Diyarbakir, and discussed the ongoing peace process in Turkey.

According to the Barzani Headquarters, President Masoud Barzani exchanged views on the political situation in the region and the peace process in Turkey with Baydemir in a meeting on Monday.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with Baydemir on Tuesday and discussed “the situation in Kurdistan and the wider region, as well as the steps being taken in Turkey’s peace process.”

Baydemir also met the head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations Safeen Dizayee on November 3.

Baydemir served as mayor of Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish-majority city in southeastern Turkey, from 2004 to 2014, before becoming a member of the Turkish parliament.

He drew attention in 2017 when he was expelled from two sessions after telling the Turkish parliament speaker, who questioned where Kurdistan was, that “Kurdistan is in my heart.”

Facing pressure in Turkey, he moved to the UK, where he now lives and remains politically active.

Prime Minister Barzani also met with Baydemir in February 2020 to discuss the significance of the peaceful efforts taken by the Kurdish people to achieve their rights.