A delegation of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) met with the Iraqi president Barham Salih and representatives of various political parties and groups in Iraq during a three-day visit to talk about the recent situation in the region following the latest Turkish incursions into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and simultaneous clashes in Sinjar (Shengal).
The delegation’s meetings in the Iraqi capital Baghdad and in the city of Sulamaniyah included also those with Iraqi MPs, the officials of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), representatives of Sinjar’s Yazidi community, and a delegation of the Communist Party of Iraq.
Feleknas Uca, MP and HDP’s deputy chair heading the international relations commission, said after their visit that they have been pursuing a policy of dialogue in the face of attacks against the HDP and the recent military operations in KRI.
“We had meetings in Iraq to support a resolution of issues through dialogue and peace,” she said.
“Having these meetings was of great significance, particularly at such high levels. We believe that they conveyed an important message in terms of solving regional issues through dialogue and peace. We will continue with our meetings. We will not allow attacks against the Kurdish people and the people of Sinjar.”
As for their meetings with PUK officials in Sulaymaniyah, Uca said:
“Everyone agrees that a policy of war will not solve anything. They said that the issues should be resolved through dialogue.”
Stressing that the conflicts in the region are not just ‘operations’ or ‘clashes’ but actually an intense warfare with chemical weapons and all sorts of conventional weapons being used, HDP MP Sezai Temelli said that President Barham Salih expressed his concern and stated that the war in the region should be stopped.
He continued:
“He emphasised that the only solution was peace, not only for the Iraqi people, but also for the people of Turkey and Syria. We expressed our view that peace and democracy in the Middle East could be achieved only through a resolution of the Kurdish question. He said that he agreed, and also underlined that the ongoing conflicts could not be interpreted simply as the conflicts between the peoples in the region. He stated that the situation should be analysed also in the context of destabilising interventions by Turkey and imperialist powers; interventions that are linked to energy policies and to global policies on financial issues.”
