Mithat Sancar told a Halk TV program that his party has no affiliation with PKK.

Pointing to a campaign launched to close the party, the party’s co-chairman said: "If the HDP is closed, the Kurdish fans of the (ruling) Justice and Development Party (AKP) will be upset with the situation. If you remember, there was a similar campaign years ago and measures were taken to close down the AKP, and the main operator of these campaigns was the Homeland Party. The same party that called for the closure of AKP is now trying to close down the HDP by supporting the AKP itself."

Sancar went on to say: "With such campaigns and claims, they cannot close down the HDP. All the claims made in the case are baseless. As the claims in the Ak Party's closure case were baseless, the same is with the claims against the HDP. It is easy to form a case and file a complaint against the party, but it is not easy to prove the matter in the court. Let's say you put it into action Turkey. How will you impose it on the world? The move will have a strong reaction among Kurds, also raises major reactions. The HDP closedown will put a heavy political price on the AKP. The AKP should have in mind the Kurds that vote for the party as well. The AKP will become a party that will have no representative among the Kurds. They cannot accept this political price."

Answering the question on whether the HDP is affiliated with the PKK, the Kurdish party leader added: “Answering this question is unjust. HDP is only the HDP. I've been in the HDP for five years. Tell me openly, which policy has been imposed upon this party by Mountain of Qandil (referring to the PKK which has its bases in Qandil Mountains in Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq)? We don't have any affiliations with the PKK."

Reporter’s code: 50101