Peace process with Kurds ongoing, Turkish official confirms

The Turkish deputy prime minister Beshir Atalay confirmed Sunday that the peace process with the Kurdish population is ongoing, refuting allegations that it suffers a deadlock.

The peace talks with the Kurdish population aims at reaching final solutions to the terrorism dilemma and the Kurdish issue in general.

In an interview with a local TV channel, Atalay said that Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan chaired a meeting on May 19, in which a decision was taken “to formulate a new roadmap and take faster steps towards peace.”

Atalay considered the meeting as one of the most critical meetings held by the prime ministry recently.

The Turkish government started peace talks with PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 2013 with the purpose of resolving the Kurdish issue within a comprehensive process to achieve peace.

In March 2013, Ocalan announced a ceasefire with Ankara and called on his followers to withdraw from Turkey to Qandil Mountain on the Iraqi-Iranian borders.