Barzani, outlawed PKK are ‘the same,’ says Turkey’s MHP head

ANKARA

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Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahçeli has slammed the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) close relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, comparing KRG President Masoud Barzani to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).“Barzani and the PKK are the same and he is a trademark of treason,” Bahçeli said at an MHP parliamentary group meeting on April 12.“Barzani has repeatedly spoken about ‘independence’ in recent months. He has said he will settle independence in a referendum on September. But there was no reaction from the Turkish government. In fact, [Prime Minister Ahmet] Davutoğlu experienced a blackout over these nonsense statements,” he added.Ongoing anti-PKK operations in Turkey’s southeast contradict with the government’s close relations with Barzani, the MHP leader said, describing the KRG head as a “killer of Turkish soldiers.”“Davutoğlu’s clinging to the negotiation circle is not a good sign. On the one hand, terrorists are chased from house to house and street to street, while on the other hand Barzani is protected. If this is not malicious intent, it is political captivity. Regional games and scenarios show that Turkey is set for disaster,” Bahçeli added.