ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish politician and close friend to jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan on Friday said Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has played a key role in negotiating peace between the PKK and Ankara.
“The role of His Excellency President Nechirvan Barzani was very important and fundamental in the previous peace process and now as well,” Mohammed Amin Penjwini told Rudaw.
The PKK on Friday held a ceremonial disarmament in Sulaimani province with 30 members and commanders - divided equally between men and women - burning their weapons before heading back to their hideouts. The decision to lay down weapons was made following a call earlier this year by Ocalan for the PKK to pursue politics instead of armed conflict.
Penjwini said the ceremony served as a message to Ankara that the PKK wants peace.
“Those armed guerrilla groups told Turkey and the world that we have come forward to respond to the call of our leader Ocalan,” he said, describing the step as “very good and positive” in the scope of the overall peace process.
He added that he previously met Barzani and urged him to visit Ankara and meet top Turkish officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin to inquire about their demands and proposals in connection with peace talks.
Mohammed Amin Penjwini speaking to Rudaw on July 11, 2025. Photo: Rudaw
President Barzani plays key role in PKK peace talks, says veteran politician
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“Mr. Nechirvan has had a very humane, effective, and major role in both the previous and current peace processes,” Penjweni said. He called on the Kurdistan Region’s president to contact Ocalan to determine the next steps of the peace process.
On Friday, Barzani welcomed the PKK’s disarmament ceremony as a “new phase” for peace.
Since 2022, Barzani has worked to pave the way for the ongoing peace talks using his diplomatic relations with the international community, his spokesperson Dilshad Shahab told Rudaw earlier this month.
The PKK, established in 1978, initially sought Kurdish independence before shifting its focus to securing political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. It is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.