Speaking at a press conference in the main Kurdish city Diyarbakır on Monday, Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş remarked that the government has prevented him from going to visit Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan together with the two other member of the BDP delegation, deputies Pervin Buldan and İdris Baluken.

Demirtaş said this approach of the government went contrary to the seriousness of the resolution process, noting that they didn't approve a discussion about the names to take place in the İmralı delegation.

Responding to the government's saying “We are having talks with the BDP”, Demirtaş said the government did not negotiate with their party, whether concerning the democratisation package or the democratic resolution process. He said the government and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should be honest to the people and avoid telling lies to the public and distorting and manipulating the truths.

Demirtaş said that the government displayed a childish approach towards the Kurdish issue, adding that they on the other hand treated the matter politically.

BDP co-chair pointed out that it was not the democratisation package but the Kurdish struggle that has enabled the removal of the the ban on Kurdish names and the Turkish national anthem at schools. “It was AKP and its governors that imposed a ban on the use of Kurdish names in public sphere, and it has been the BDP and its politicians that have managed to remove this ban as a result of severe sentences, punishments and investigations they were subject to. “The package would have made no mention of these points were it not for the Kurdish struggle”, he added.

BDP co-chair said they expected the government to take steps in order for the beginning of a negotiation process.

He underlined that İmralı talks should be advanced and the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan should be enabled to have talks with other circles as well, including civilian delegations, wise people, non-governmental organizations and media representatives. He added that Öcalan was not allowed to have a meeting with other circles despite the fact that the government claims there to be no obstacle for such meetings. BDP co-chair stressed that the government still continued though to intervene in the BDP delegation to İmralı as well.

Noting that the BDP will also be having talks with political parties and movements and Islamic organizations in Kurdistan in the coming term, Demirtaş added that; “What we desire is the involvement of all Kurdish powers in the elections as a democratic union. We will invite them to unite in the BDP”.