SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a pivotal meeting on Thursday with the Imrali delegation of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Ankara, marking his first direct engagement with Kurdish politicians in 13 years.
The meeting focused on a renewed peace process following jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan’s call on February 27, with the DEM Party delegation briefing Erdogan on the latest developments in the talks.
The one-hour and 25-minute meeting, a breakthrough moment for the peace process, was attended by DEM Party lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Sureyya Onder, alongside İbrahim Kalın, Director of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
Ahead of the meeting, Onder told reporters, “We hope that peace-related activities will progress with faster steps from now on.” Buldan also shared her expectations, saying, “The President will perhaps share his views on this issue with us for the first time. He will tell us what he thinks needs to be done, and we will brief him on all the meetings we have held. Afterward, we may issue a written statement.”
As of this writing, no official statement has been released regarding the content of the closed-door meeting. However, Turkish media outlets quoted Onder after the meeting, indicating that the discussion with Erdogan was positive.
On Wednesday, Erdogan announced that the meeting would take place on Thursday and focus on creating a “free-terror Turkey,” stressing the importance of rebuilding the country with Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Alawites, and Sunnis.
The talks come amid a renewed peace effort, initially sparked by comments from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli and further fueled by Ocalan’s “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” on February 27, urging his organization to lay down arms and dissolve itself.
“The meeting we had with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his delegation, took place in an extremely positive, constructive, productive, and hopeful atmosphere for the future,” said the Imrali delegation of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.
The DEM Party delegation said that they have confirmed the importance of the progress made and evaluated the next stages of the process, stressing that a period of no violence, conflict, and a strengthened democratic sphere is vital for our country, citizens, and region.
The delegation reaffirmed their commitment to continue implementing the “Peace and Democratic Society Call” with greater determination and care, stating they are more hopeful today than yesterday. They also express gratitude to all political parties and social groups for their support, suggestions, warnings, and criticisms throughout the process.