At a Glance

• Bafel Jalal Talabani hosted Tuncer Bakirhan to reinforce mutual cooperation.
• The PUK reaffirmed its full backing for Turkey’s peace process.
• Bakirhan thanked the PUK for advancing regional security and peace.

Bafel Jalal Talabani, President of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) recieved Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chair Tuncer Bakirhan to reinforce bilateral ties and affirm the party's full support for Turkey's peace process.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Talabani told Bakirhan, “We will continue on the same path as President Mam Jalal's policy until this vital and fateful issue succeeds.” 
• Both sides pledged to maintain ongoing coordination and joint cooperation. 

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The meeting took place in Slemani’s Dabashan, and was attended by Political Bureau members Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed and Dr. Yousif Goran, alongside Salar Lale Sarhad, Head of the PUK’s Kurdistani Relations Board.

According to the PUK President's Press Office, both parties emphasized strengthening bilateral relations to protect supreme interests and foster greater regional stability. 

Discussing the peace process in Turkey, Talabani reaffirmed the PUK's support for “this historic step.” 

“We believe that through coexistence and peace, we can serve our people, because war and division bring nothing but devastation,” he highlighted, expressing hope that “everyone opens a new page toward a lasting peace.”

Bakirhan expressed gratitude to the PUK President and the party for their efforts to ensure the success of the peace process. 

“We view your role with respect and appreciate your steps, which serve stability and peaceful coexistence in the region,” he added.

FYI

The meeting between PUK President Talabani and DEM Party Co-Chair Bakirhan occurs amid a transforming regional landscape aimed at resolving the decades-long conflict. 

Initiated in late 2024 following calls by Turkish political leaders, the diplomatic efforts achieved a major milestone when the Grand National Assembly of Turkey passed the “Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration” in August 2026. 

This legislation established the formal legal parameters for the disbandment and disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), offering structured pathways for civilian reintegration and legal leniency.

By October 2026, the demilitarization phase achieved measurable progress, including the verified evacuation of strategic PKK border outposts in areas such as the Metina region.

An appointed parliamentary oversight committee in Ankara currently administers this transition from armed operations to conventional political participation. 

As Turkey's primary parliamentary bloc, the DEM Party functions as the central structural intermediary in these multi-party negotiations, facilitating direct communications between the Turkish government and imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan on Imrali Island regarding specific disarmament schedules.

The PUK's current diplomatic approach continues to align with the historical doctrine of the late Iraqi President Mam Jalal Talabani, which maintains that regional Kurdish matters cannot be settled via military means and must be addressed through cross-border dialogue and institutional integration. 

Talabani has consistently utilized platforms like the recent Middle East Research Institute (MERI) Forum to express the PUK's absolute backing for the peace process. 

At the forum, Talabani stated that he is utilizing the current framework to propose a parallel reconciliation model to Iranian officials involving Iranian Kurdish parties, framing comprehensive cross-border diplomacy as an essential mechanism to prevent broader regional instability.

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