A delegation of the DEM Party and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) is visiting Sulaymaniyah to hold a series of meetings with political parties and civil society organizations in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).

The delegation includes DBP Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır, DEM Party Foreign Relations Co-Spokespersons Berdan Öztürk and Ebru Günay, DEM Party Mardin MP and Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) administrative officer Saliha Aydeniz and Free Women’s Movement (TJA) member Adalet Fidan.

The delegation held the first meeting with the Gorran (Change) Movement on Tuesday. The political process in Turkey, developments in the Middle East and the current situation in Syria were discussed during the meeting, at the Gorran Movement office in the Kurdsad neighborhood of Sulaymaniyah and lasted for about an hour.

The delegation then met with the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Representation in Sulaymaniyah, highlighting the role of political parties in South Kurdistan in addressing the Kurdish issue and contributing to the peace process based on Abdullah Öcalan's call for "Peace and a democratic society".

On Wednesday, the DEM -DBP delegation met with Haval Abubakir, the governor of Sulaymaniyah, this morning.   

According to RojNews agency, the meeting focused primarily on current political developments in the Middle East and worldwide. One of the central topics was the peace and democratization process in Turkey, which was initiated by Öcalan’s ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’. In addition, developments in Syria and geopolitical events in the region were discussed.

A joint press conference was held following the 45-minute meeting. The governor of Sulaymaniyah expressed his support for the peace process and emphasized that success in northern Kurdistan would also be seen as a victory for all Kurds worldwide. He called on all Kurds to actively support the process and hoped “that the Turkish state will soon respond to this process positively”.

Keskin Bayindir described the meeting as very productive. With reference to previous talks with Haval Abubakir regarding the future of the Kurds and Kurdistan, he emphasized that the success of the process in Northern Kurdistan would inevitably have an impact on other parts of Kurdistan.

During its visit to Sulaymaniyah, the delegation plans to meet with other political parties and personalities from the region. The aim of the talks is to promote the peace process and political cooperation.

The current visit to Southern Kurdistan is a continuation of a series of meetings in February this year. A delegation of the DEM Party met with the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned for 26 years, on December 28, 2024, as well as on January 22 and February 27 this year on the prison island of Imrali. On this occasion, he finally made a historic call for peace and a democratic society. In this context, the current talks are part of the efforts of the DEM Party to spread the messages and visions of the Kurdish leader and to promote dialogue between Kurdish political forces.