President says leaders' talks on Kurdish issue ‘praiseworthy'

Gül commented on Wednesday's meeting between top officials of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) as he responded to questions from reporters in Ağrı on Thursday.

Gül added that Turkey is a country that is capable of solving its problems through consensus. “All these meetings are praiseworthy. I always encourage meetings of leaders and politicians who are aware of the [pressing] issues [of the country],” he said.

Upon the initiative of CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who recently requested a meeting with the prime minister to submit his party's suggestions for a solution to the Kurdish impasse, the two parties had a mainly positive meeting on Wednesday at AK Party headquarters. Officials from both parties voiced positive feelings after the meeting, but they both underlined that the support of other parties in Parliament should also be sought in a solution to the issue.