Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday met with Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, and underlined the importance of reviving the peace process in Turkiye as a path to lasting peace.
“I emphasized that this historic opportunity must be seized, and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) must respond positively to Mr. Ocalan’s call,” he said.
“We also discussed President Erdogan’s recent meeting with the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) delegation and its significance for dialogue and peace.”
I had a very productive meeting with President @RTErdogan in Antalya.
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) April 11, 2025
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… pic.twitter.com/CMUu8tNiNo
Barzani traveled to Turkiye today to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that will take place on April 11-13, 2025.
On February 27, the imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan made a call for the PKK to disarm.
The Iraqi Kurdish leadership has supported this process from the beginning, including during the earlier PKK-Turkiye peace process that collapsed in 2015.
Read More: Iraqi Kurdish Leaders Welcome Ocalan’s Message
President Masoud Barzani in February also voiced his support for Ocalan’s message, calling on the PKK to disarm and support a peace process in Turkiye.
Cumhurbaşkanımız @RTErdogan, 4. Antalya Diplomasi Forumu için Türkiye’de bulunan Irak Kürt Bölgesel Yönetimi (IKBY) Başkanı Neçirvan Barzani’yi kabul etti. pic.twitter.com/DhDG6c05wv
— T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı (@tcbestepe) April 11, 2025
“We reaffirm our unwavering stance and fully support the peace process in Turkiye with all our capabilities, as we believe that peace is the only viable path to resolving conflicts,” President Barzani said.
On April 11, Turkiye’s President Erdogan received a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and discussed the current peace process.
A delegation from the DEM Party also previously met with Iraqi Kurdish leaders in mid-February in the Kurdistan Region.
