ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish politicians and representatives will attend a peace conference in Istanbul this weekend for discussions on Turkey’s peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and other regional developments.
“The International Peace and Democratic Society Conference aims to bring together speakers who have played direct roles in global conflict-resolution efforts and who have contributed significantly to the pursuit of a lasting, peaceful resolution in our country,” according to the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) that is hosting the event.
The conference will take place over Saturday and Sunday. Opening remarks will be delivered by DEM co-chairs Tuncer Bakirhan and Tulay Hatimogullari.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) will be represented by former member of the Kurdistan Parliament Amina Zikri, attending on behalf of President Masoud Barzani. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani will be represented by his spokesperson Dilshad Shahab, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, foreign affairs advisor to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, will join as the premier’s representative.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) will be represented by Dara Khailany, head of the party’s foreign relations office, attending on behalf of PUK leader Bafel Talabani and Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, also a senior PUK figure.
The conference is taking place at a key time in peace talks between the Turkish state and the PKK. Mediators visited Imrali Island on Tuesday to meet jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been held there since 1999.
Ocalan has received expanded access to mediators, family members, and lawyers since launching a new drive for peace with Ankara more than a year ago.
In February, he called on the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve itself, which the group did in May, temporarily rebranding as the Kurdistan Freedom Movement. Most recently, the PKK withdrew its fighters from Mount Zap - a strategic area of northern Duhok province where Turkish forces have long struggled to gain control.
A 51-member Turkish parliamentary commission was formed earlier this year to create a legal framework for the peace talks. On November 24, a delegation from the committee visited Ocalan, including lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), its far-right ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the DEM Party.
Rojava participation
The DEM Party invited Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of North and East Syria’s Foreign Relations Office, to attend the conference. Ankara, however, considers the Kurdish-led administration and armed forces of northeast Syria (Rojava) an extension of the PKK and therefore a security threat.
DEM deputy co-chair Tayip Temel told Rudaw on Saturday that they are working with Turkish state institutions “to ensure Ms Ahmed’s participation.”
Turkey’s ruling AKP spokesperson Omer Celik said on Wednesday that Rojava officials should “lay down arms” before joining such meetings.
According to the conference program, Ahmed is expected to join the opening session on Saturday via video link.
Turkey has called for the disarmament of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) that form the backbone of Rojava’s de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF is currently in talks with Damascus about integrating into the national army.