A high-level delegation from Turkey is in the country to learn the “architecture of a peace process” that it said would have “a very substantial impact” with its revived peace negotiations with its Kurdish minority.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) said the delegates would meet and talk to Philippine officials “and learn from the successful peace talks of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.”
The delegation includes high-level members of parliament from Turkey’s main political parties, according to the Opapp.
The Opapp quoted Kerim Yildiz, director of the nonprofit group Democratic Progress Institute (DPI), as saying that “the Turks are at a very important stage in the process with the Kurds that has recently started.”
The Opapp said Yildiz emphasized that the assistance of Philippine peace officials in conducting the briefing, among other activities, “would have a very substantial impact.”
Philippine peace panel officials who met with the delegation were former Agriculture Secretary Senen Bacani and peace panel legal team head lawyer Anna Basman.
Yildiz was quoted in a statement as saying that the delegates “are interested in discussing the architecture of a peace process, including the negotiations and cessation of hostilities; the role of the media; the role of civil society in mobilizing a peace process; and the role of third parties in a peace process.”
The delegates said they were interested “in the challenges that the Bangsamoro peace process is facing, especially in terms of the implementation of peace agreements.”
Bacani said “prejudices and biases against Filipino Muslims is a bigger challenge to the peace process compared to the implementation of agreements.”
“The harder challenge is the change in mind-set, in terms of a new way of thinking, eliminating the prejudices and biases of the past. That’s the harder one,” Bacani said.
Bacani thanked Turkey for contributing to the Bangsamoro peace process.
“I’d like to thank the government of Turkey and the people of Turkey for their very active involvement in the peace process with regard to our talks with the MILF,” Bacani said.
“Turkey is represented in the International Contact Group [ICG] together with the United Kingdom, Japan and Saudi Arabia—these are four countries represented—and four international non-governmental organizations,” Bacani noted. The ICG observes the conduct of the peace negotiations between the government and MILF. “It’s second involvement is in the Third Party Monitoring Team, there is an international NGO from Turkey that is represented in the Third Party Monitoring Team [TPMT],” he added. The TPMT is tasked to monitor compliance of the government and MILF to all signed agreements.
“Turkey is also represented in the Independent Decommissioning Body [IDB], which is chaired by the former ambassador of Turkey to Nato [North Atlantic Treaty Organization], Ambassador Haydar Berk,” he added.
The IDB is tasked to oversee the decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons.
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