MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : ERDOGAN “NO PEACE TALKS WITH PKK”
NORTH KURDISTAN (TURKEY) – PKK peace talks not on Erdogan’s agenda, says spokesperson
By Rudaw 19 May 2018 – ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has no intention of re-opening peace talks with the PKK after elections, according to a comment from Turkey’s presidential spokesperson. “There is no such thing as a new peace process or an opening in the agenda of our president. The struggle of all of our citizens, including the Kurds, to overcome the persecution and oppression of the PKK terrorist organization, will continue with determination,” Ibrahim Kalin tweeted on Friday.
He made his comments after senior advisor to the Turkish president Ilnur Cevik said that a resumption of the peace process between the Turkish government and the PKK was possible after the June 24 election.
Kalin said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was dedicated to protecting the equal rights of all citizens.“Our president has rejected any kind of religious or ethnic discrimination and has shown this through concrete action. Our Kurdish brothers are equal citizens in the Republic of Turkey, like all other individuals. The politics of rejection, denial, and assimilation are no more,” he said.
Peace talks between Turkey and the PKK aimed at ending the decades-long conflict died in 2015. Selahattin Demirtas, presidential candidate for pro-Kurdish party HDP, played a major role in bringing the two sides together during talks. He is now in jail, accused of taking orders from the PKK – a charge he denies.
Erdogan is running for re-election in the first vote since constitutional amendments that saw power concentrated in his office. He is hoping that his record fighting the PKK and other alleged terror groups will help propel him to victory. Since the resumption of the armed conflict on July 20, 2015, at least 3,492 people have been killed in Turkey, according to data from the International Crisis Group. This number includes Turkish soldiers, PKK fighters, and civilians.