2025-11-18T18:05:22+00:00
Shafaq News – Duhok
On Tuesday, Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani and former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu agreed that ongoing peace efforts between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) should move forward in a way that benefits the entire Middle East.
According to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency, Barzani met Davutoglu on the sidelines of the Middle East Peace & Security (MEPS) Forum 2025 in Duhok, to discuss KRG–Turkiye ties, broader Iraq–Turkiye relations, and regional developments.
Both stressed the need to maintain progress in the peace process, the statement said. Under the ongoing framework, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has ordered disarmament, and the group’s units have begun withdrawing from Turkiye.
Read more: Turkiye’s cautious gamble: PKK disarmament and the regional chessboard
The meeting came as Iraq completed its sixth parliamentary election since 2003, with turnout exceeding 56%. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), where Barzani serves as Vice President, secured more than 1.09 million votes and 26 seats, retaining its position as the country’s largest Kurdish bloc and one of the leading forces in Parliament.
The MEPS 2025 Forum, held from November 17–19 at the American University of Kurdistan, convened regional leaders, diplomats, and academics under the theme: “Managed Chaos – A New Middle East?” Now in its sixth edition, the Forum is co-hosted with Cambridge University, the Atlantic Council, Carnegie’s Crisis Response Council, and the London School of Economics.
Read more: Nechirvan Barzani as Iraq’s President: How could this scenario reshape the country’s future?
Source: Shafaq News
