SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — A delegation from the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) initiated official talks with Turkish political parties on Thursday to revive the peace process and work towards a democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
The discussions are centered around peace proposals made by Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), following a rare meeting with the DEM Party delegation on Imrali Island on Saturday, the first of its kind in ten years.
The DEM Party delegation, consisting of lawmakers Sirri Sureyya Onder, Pervin Buldan, and Kurdish veteran politician Ahmet Turk, met with Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus for a one-hour discussion.
After the meeting, the DEM Party issued a statement describing the conversation as “positive” and revealed they briefed Kurtulmus on their visit to Imrali, shared their assessment of the situation, and listened to his suggestions.
The statement also highlighted that the delegation is set to meet with the leaders of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Justice and Development Party (AKP), and other parliamentary groups on Monday to further discuss the peace process and Ocalan recent views on the process.
Additionally, the delegation held a 45-minute meeting with Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), where they shared details of their Imrali visit and Ocalan’s proposals for the peace process.
During their meeting with Ocalan on December 28, the PKK imprisoned leader emphasized the importance of strengthening Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood, urging political parties to actively support the peace process, with the Turkish parliament playing a critical role in moving the initiative forward.
