Sisi government met PKK three times in six months: Turkish intelligence

The Egyptian government has been meeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in recent months, according to a Turkish intelligence report seen by Turkish opposition newspaper Hurriyet.

The report said the two sides met three times over the past six months, culminating in Egypt’s approval for the PKK-linked Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) to open an office in Cairo.

“A delegation from the PKK was allowed to go to Baghdad in the middle of December last year. The PKK delegation went to Cairo with a visa they obtained from the Egyptian Embassy in Baghdad,” the report said, highlighting the mediating role between Egypt and the PKK played by the central Iraqi government.

“A more authorised PKK delegation went to Cairo and met with some high-level officials from the Egyptian intelligence service in January 2016,” the report continued.

“Egypt gave the message that it could support the PKK for the first time in this meeting. Egypt transferred weapons and money after this meeting.”

The final meeting is thought to have taken place in April 2016 with the participation of seven members of the PKK.

The report also says it was agreed that the PKK would gather intelligence on Muslim Brotherhood members in Turkey and “commit actions against its members if necessary,” according to Hurriyet.

In return, the Turkish newspaper said that there was an alleged agreement that Egypt would give weapons and monetary aid to the PKK.

No other meetings are believed to have been held since April, the report concluded.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.