Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed rumors on holding negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan.

According to the Firat news agency, prior to leaving for Kosovo, Erdogan answered journalists’ questions and commented on a statement of Kurdish activist that the authorities are negotiating with Ocalan jailed on Imrali island.

Erdogan stressed that the Turkish structures negotiated, are negotiating and will be doing so. These steps are necessary to solve the problem, he noted.

Several days ago Kurdish MP Aysel Tugluk visited Imrali island and met with leader of Kurdistan Workers’ Party Abdullah Ocalan. Later he stated that dialogue between Turkish government and Ocalan regarding settlement of the Kurdish issue has grown into a negotiation process.