Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has held a press conference at the European Parliament today after participating a conference discussing the Kurdish question in the French Parliament on Wednesday.

Demirtaş who was invited to the EP by MEP Jürgen Klute, member of the German Die Linke party, said the meeting at the EP handled the ongoing democratic resolution process in Turkey.

Referring to the ongoing talks between Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and the Turkish state, Demirtaş said they believed the government must take more courageous steps in order for the achievement of democratisation and its permanency in Turkey.

BDP co-chair said it is important that the ceasefire is still in effect and should remain so, and stressed that the EU and the EP should also take more courageous steps and produce more courageous policies regarding the recognition of Kurdish rights in Turkey. Demirtaş criticized the EP and the EU for failing to encourage the Turkish government to take steps on the issue.

Demirtaş stressed that the EU in particular should put forward encouraging proposals and party to the process for the initiation of negotiations that shall open the way for lasting peace.

"Any step serving the solution of the Kurdish issue will also strengthen Turkey's EU accession period, which is why the EU, the EP and their institutions should see that Turkey's EU accession period cannot be managed independently of the Kurdish issue, and they should provide further contribution", Demirtaş said.

BDP co-chair called on the EU to remove the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) from the list of terrorist organisations, and underlined that; "The EU should definitively review its list of 'terrorist organisations' because of the fact that it provides no contribution but constitutes an obstacle to the peace process in Turkey to keep an armed organization which guarantees disarmament in the list of terrorist organisations”.

Referring to another "vital point for the advancement of the resolution process", Demirtaş said the isolation on Kurdish leader Öcalan must be removed and he must be enabled to establish contact with the outside world.

Answering reporters questions after the press conference, Demirtaş said the followings concerning the possibility of a third party's participation in the peace process; "We are of the opinion that a third state could well monitor this process but this doesn't seem much likely in the current state of affairs. It is however important that a third party, of intellectuals, also take part in the process as a witness and a monitoring mechanism which should yet not be shaped by the government but be accepted and supported by all circles".