Turkey stronger after July 15 coup bid: Kurdish party

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq

Erfan Ali Abdulaziz, leader of the Kurdistan Islamic Movement Party (Bizutinewey in Kurdish) in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, believes Turkey will be stronger in the wake of the failed July 15 coup bid by the FETO terrorist organization.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in an interview published Tuesday, Abdulaziz praised the Turkish peoples’ role in foiling last month’s coup attempt and safeguarding democracy.

According to Abdulaziz, Turkey’s political progress was manifested at Sunday’s massive "Democracy and Martyrs' Rally" in Istanbul, which was attended by opposition leaders in addition to representatives of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, under which, Abdulaziz said, Turkey had taken serious steps towards solving its problems and strengthening its economy in recent years.

He went on to stress that, in Turkey’s post-coup bid era, the specter of military takeovers would no longer pose a threat to the democratic political process.

As for the political situation in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, Abdulaziz said efforts were currently underway to establish an alliance of Kurdish Islamic parties, including the Kurdistan Islamic Union (Yekgirtuy), the Kurdistan Islamic Movement (Bizutinewey) and the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komeli).

Proposals for a political alliance between the parties were first voiced by Yekgirtuy leader Salaheddine Bahaaeddin, who, according to Abdulaziz, had already begun holding meetings with the heads of other Islamic parties.

The move, said Abdulaziz, was aimed at unifying the regional Islamic parties' ranks and positions.

*Reporting by Idris Okuducu; Writing by Mahmoud Barakat