President Barzani: We were welcomed with the Kurdistan Region flag in the same palace where it was once refused

ANKARA, Turkey (K24) – The President of Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani on Thursday stated that the current clashes between Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish army in the Kurdish-majority cities of Turkey should be solved through peaceful dialogue.

Earlier, on Wednesday, President Barzani and his accompanied delegates visited Turkey's capital, Ankara and met with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. On Thursday Barzani met the Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz.

A key element that significantly differentiates this meeting with previous ones is that the Kurdistan Region's flag was represented and placed next to the Iraqi and Turkish national flags at all official meetings.

On Thursday President Barzani held a meeting with several Kurdish journalists in Ankara. In the meeting, journalists raised a variety of questions about different subjects.

Barzani shared that he discussed various bilateral relations between Kurdistan Region and Turkey and the current overall regional situation. "I am satisfied with the result of the meetings with Turkish officials," he stated.

Barzani also said that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) gained many things in those meetings but "there are things that are not straightforward and needs time to be achieved."

Regarding the current clashes between PKK fighters and the Turkish army in the Kurdish-populated areas of southwestern of Turkey, Barzani said that "it is very unfortunate that the clashes took place and reached [this] recent level."

He further mentioned that "The situation has to be solved in peaceful ways [...] maybe it needs time, but it has to be through dialogue and negotiation."

Barzani also called on those responsible for the clashes to behave responsibly and be patient with the peace process. Barzani asked the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to "maintain peace process no matter what obstacles face the process."

In response to a question asked whether President Barzani has met PKK-jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan while visiting Turkey, Barzani refuted this rumor and said that it is not true.

Regarding the besieged Syrian Kurdish city of Afrin by extremists, Barzani stated that the KRG will do its best to help Afrin "just like [in] Kobani" if needed.

Regarding the bilateral relations between the KRG and Turkey, the president stated that both sides emphasized what needed to be done to improve the relationship. “We always need each other's help… we discussed the support of Turkey to Peshmerga [in the fight against the Islamic State (IS)].”

Furthermore, Barzani denied that any discussions regarding Kurdish independence were discussed but noted that "Kurdish independence should be far from violence."

He also mentioned that there has been a misunderstanding between Baghdad and Turkey regarding Turkish forces in northern Iraq. "The case has been much exaggerated," said Barzani.

He stressed that certainly, the violation of Iraq's sovereignty is not accepted, but he reminded that "now Iraq is in the war against terrorists [IS]" and called for cooperation to eradicate jihadists in the country.

"ISIS should be destroyed in both Iraq and Syria… we thank whoever helps us in the battle against IS, " and added that Peshmerga will fight IS anywhere they can "but Raqqa is not our frontline with IS."

Barzani additionally touched upon the security of Mosul, currently occupied by IS. "The security in Mosul is very important for the Kurdistan Region," and added that while it is true that IS has been weakened in Mosul, "...they are [still] a threat and might use other military tactics."

President Barzani also revealed to journalists that "in the 1960s, Mullah Mustafa Barzani [modern Kurdish leader] sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General and sent a copy of the letter to many world leaders. Some countries answered. The only leader that refused to answer and sent the letter back to its own address was Turkish President Cevdet Sunay. The letter was sent from this palace. But now we are welcomed with the Kurdistan Region flag in the same place."

He concluded, "For me this psychological change in Turkey is very important. It is a big change in the country."