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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet with a delegation from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Thursday to discuss the latest developments and future steps of the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
The meeting, which was initially planned for Tuesday, was delayed, the DEM Party announced on Monday. Lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar are expected to meet with Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex in the capital, Ankara. It will constitute the third meeting between Erdoğan and the DEM Party.
The Imralı delegation is a delegation made up of DEM Party lawmakers who have been pursuing dialogue with the PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, on Imralı Island.
While this latest meeting is seen as a sign that the terror-free Türkiye initiative continues without interruption, it is also expected that the possibility of the parliamentary commission created for this process visiting Imralı Island will also be discussed.
Earlier this month, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli said that a delegation of commission members should meet face-to-face with Öcalan, receive his messages firsthand and share them with the public. However, no specific comment came from Erdoğan himself.
The meeting is also critical in that it comes shortly after the PKK declared its withdrawal from Türkiye.
In a ceremony in Iraq, the group made a statement about the process, with some members, reportedly those who left Türkiye for the withdrawal, in attendance. Sabri Ok, a senior terrorist, said they received the approval of Öcalan for the withdrawal to northern Iraq, where the group has hideouts. Ok implied the PKK expected “certain legal and political approaches” in return for their withdrawal.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary commission of the terror-free Türkiye process is also to meet on Thursday for its 16th gathering. In the first session, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will make a presentation to the commission members. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç will speak in the second round.
The ministers will answer questions from the commission members and members of Parliament regarding the process.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally MHP when its leader, Bahçeli, implied that the government should facilitate access to Öcalan, so that he could call on the PKK to lay down arms. Bahçeli’s proposal was endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had earlier hinted at the initiative with messages of unity between Turks and Kurds. The PKK has long justified its campaign of terrorism as a fight for the rights of Kurds. Both Bahçeli and Erdoğan have repeatedly said that ending terrorism and maintaining unity were essential for Türkiye’s “home front” in the face of Israeli aggression in the region, pointing to the fact that Israel may target Türkiye next as part of its expansionist policies. Öcalan responded positively to Bahçeli’s call and urged the PKK to lay down arms. In July, the PKK started the disarmament process with a ceremony in northern Iraq. The group’s disarmament is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
High hopes after PKK statement
Families in Muş whose children have been abducted by the PKK voiced new hopes after the terrorist organization announced its withdrawal. The families called the incident an opportunity to return and surrender.
The families continue their sit-in in front of the provincial building of the DEM Party, holding banners.
Father Alaattin Koçhan said: “They took my son from Bursa. If you hear me, my son, Ersin, the state has issued many laws, peace has been made, and the PKK withdraws from Türkiye. This is a chance. The state will announce many laws. Come and surrender from where you are and make the best of this process.”
Another father, Halit Altun, also called on his son, Muhsin and other youth who participated in the PKK. “All of you see how the process continues. The PKK withdrew completely from Turkish soil. Come and take advantage of this process.”
