Turkey's pro-Kurdish party wants to keep "peace process" alive

While the Turkish political parties are negotiating a new government following last month's election, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said on Friday that it intends to carry on the Kurdish peace process regardless of how the coalition is going to be lined up.

The HDP said in a written statement that turning the "peace process" into the policy of the nation would be the only way to maintain its momentum, adding that it will hold large "peace meetings" across the country in an attempt to keep alive the "solution process" between the state and Kurdish militants, Anadolu Agency reported Friday.

The solution process, which aims to end the 30-year conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgents, was initiated in 2013, but was soon stalled with no real progress. The PKK is still listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, United States and the European Union.

In the general elections early last month, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) failed to maintain strong public support in what was described as the most critical election for Turkey although it is still the leading party.

The HDP, which surpassed the 10 percent threshold to enter the parliament, said earlier that it would not participate in any kind of coalition government with the ruling AKP, yet pledging to play a constructive role in the parliament, particularly in promoting peace with the PKK militants.

With no political parties garnering enough seats to form a single-party government, the AKP, as the leading party, will get the first try at forming a coalition government, but many in the country expect the incoming coalition, even if it can be formed, will be short-lived. The possibility of a snap election later this year has also been speculated if a period of 45 days to form the new government is exhausted.

In the newly-elected parliament, the AKP has 258 seats in the parliament, while the pro-Kurdish party has 80. Endit