Davutoğlu accepts existence of the 'Kurdish issue' but wouldn't negotiate with HDP

Duvar English

Turkey's former Prime Minister and founder of the Future Party Ahmet Davutoğlu has said that even though he accepts the existence of the Kurdish issue as an academic, he wouldn't negotiate with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) as a politician.

"I respect their voter base. I would try to change their minds. If HDP distances itself from terrorism, they'll receive the treatment any other party would from us," Davutoğlu said during a broadcast on independent news site Medyascope.

Davutoğlu said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had put him in charge of the Kurdish-Turkish peace process and he put in great efforts for it to succeed, but it was to no avail.

"When I became prime minister I discovered a sad truth: The public order had started to be eroded under the guise of a 'peace process.' There were parallel courts and fines," said Davutoğlu.

Davutoğlu also accused HDP of trying to include Turkey in a "tangle of terrorism."

Touching on his resignation as prime minister, he said that the mistakes of the government during his time in office are blamed on him, while Erdoğan is praised for the successes.

"I'm still the same person in terms of carrying out Turkey's foreign policies including 'Zero problems with neighbors.' I don't think that should change," Davutoğlu said.