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The parliamentary committee supervising the terror-free Türkiye initiative was set to decide on Friday whether its members will visit the PKK terrorist group’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, in his island prison Imralı.
The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee, which reconvened at 2 p.m., is weighing the step as part of its mandate to support the initiative that seeks to end four decades of PKK terrorism in Türkiye.
Having faced heightening calls for a hearing from Öcalan himself as it nears completion of its task, the 51-member committee needs at least 31 votes to approve an Imralı visit.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who chairs the body, earlier confirmed that only a qualified majority would authorize such a move.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) rejected holding the session behind closed doors, but the People’s Alliance’s numbers could allow a confidential meeting, which would keep votes and deliberations private. Any final decision will be announced publicly by the speaker.
Ahead of the session, Kurtulmuş met party coordinators in a preparatory discussion. The deputy chair of the government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Feti Yıldız said he would go to Imralı on behalf of the MHP if the committee approves the visit.
Uncertainty remains over whether a vote will take place immediately, though Yıldız said he expects one and that the issue will be resolved during the meeting. Party delegations are continuing internal evaluations as the committee proceeds toward determining which members would participate in a potential visit.
Also speaking to reporters, CHP Deputy Chair Murat Emir said the party would not send a representative to Imralı if the visit is approved.
“It’s possible to have a more inclusive process via technological means instead of sending five lawmakers to the island,” Emir told reporters.
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli upped the ante in his bid for the elimination of the PKK terrorist group on Tuesday, when he volunteered to hold talks with Öcalan.
Addressing lawmakers of his party at Parliament on Tuesday, Bahçeli said he wouldn’t take offense at going to Imralı, marking yet another significant shift in the discourse of a veteran nationalist politician who once called for the hanging of Öcalan. As a matter of fact, he launched the terror-free Türkiye initiative by shaking hands with lawmakers of a party he once called for closure for its links to the PKK.
In his speech on Tuesday, Bahçeli said there should not be foot-dragging in the committee’s visit to Imralı, as he earlier called on the committee to hold indirect or direct talks with Öcalan in one of its future sessions.
Öcalan is incarcerated at the Imralı island prison near Istanbul and responded to Bahçeli’s call for the PKK’s dissolution last year by urging his terrorist group to dissolve last February.
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.
Earlier this month, the group announced it withdrew from a key stronghold in northern Iraq near the Turkish border, one month after it announced its withdrawal from Turkish territories.
In the coming months, the parliamentary committee is expected to draft a report that will serve as a guide to Parliament to take the next steps in the initiative, namely, regulations or bills to accelerate the process.
