The presidents of 15 bar associations in Northern Kurdistan have traveled to Ankara to discuss the ongoing process and debates on a new constitution in Turkey. The delegation wants to gather information in Ankara on the current state of constitutional discussions and at the same time present its own proposals and expectations for the reform process. The focus will be on questions concerning the legal form of possible changes, the role of parliament in possible peace negotiations with Abdullah Öcalan, and a political solution to the Kurdish question.

The delegation paid its first visit to the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Tuesday and exchanged views. The presidents of the bar associations of Adıyaman, Ağrı, Batman, Bingöl, Bitlis, Dersim, Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Iğdır, Kars, Muş, Siirt, Urfa, Şırnak and Van had a meeting with the DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, Deputy Co-Chair of the Commission on Law and Human Rights Öztürk Türkdoğan, Group Deputy Chairpersons Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit and Sezai Temelli, and members of parliament.

The meeting witnessed discussions on developments in the ongoing process launched after Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ and the PKK’s decision to disband and disarm, announced on May 12.

During the meeting, the bar associations handed over files they had prepared on the process, which included studies on legal, constitutional, and social issues. Bakırhan thanked the bar presidents for their visit and their support for the Peace and Democratic Society process, which, he said, is aimed at resolving the Kurdish question through negotiation and democracy.

Tuncer Bakırhan stated that developments in the Middle East and Turkey are forcing everyone to seek a solution, saying, "This process seeks an end to 50 years of war and conflict and a resolution to the Kurdish issue through democratic means. Anyone who fails to crown this process with peace will lose. Problems in a non-democratic country are primarily a matter of law. You are the ones who are struggling the most in this regard."

“Bahçeli's step, Abdullah Öcalan's groundbreaking call to the world, and his organization's positive response to it have given us great hope,” said Bakırhan. “As the DEM Party, we have believed in this process from the beginning and are contributing to it. We continue to hold meetings across Turkey to explain the process.”

The DEM Party Co-Chair stated that they consider the work done by the bar association presidents to be very valuable and important, noting that they expect similar efforts from other professional organizations, chambers, and civil society organizations to contribute to the process.

Bakırhan remarked that the Kurdish people believe in and support the process, saying, “We need to establish an approach that views Kurds as brothers and sisters. If this process continues, Turkey will become democratic and will be protected from the fires in the region.”

Bakırhan thanked the bar presidents for their suggestions and reports, adding that they would evaluate the reports in their work.