DEM Party holds another meeting with PKK leader

ISTANBUL

A delegation from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) met again with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on the İmralı prison island off Istanbul on Nov. 3 as part of the government’s “terror-free Türkiye" initiative.

The delegation, consisting of MPs Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, visited Öcalan days after meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 30. That visit came shortly after PKK declared that it had begun withdrawing its armed units from Turkish territory.

According to a DEM Party statement, the discussions in Ankara focused on “the current stage of the peace process and the necessary next steps,” noting that there was “mutual understanding and consensus on taking steps that will ensure the process progresses more quickly and healthily.”

Erdoğan described his talks with the İmralı delegation as “constructive, productive and promising for the future.”

“Hopefully, we will see the impact of this meeting in the coming days,” he added.

DEM Party MP Sezai Temelli said in a press conference in Ankara on Nov. 3 that a parliamentary commission overseeing the process will complete its consultations after a final meeting expected to include Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın.

The commission is then expected to write a report, Temelli said, emphasizing that “we are at a crucial stage. Our priority is to evaluate this stage effectively and move on to legislative activities as soon as possible.”

He added that the DEM Party hopes the legislative package expected as part of the peace process will be brought to parliament and enacted before the end of the year.

The DEM Party’s previous visit to Öcalan took place on Oct. 3, when the PKK leader reportedly underscored the importance of “identifying and implementing legal requirements from a correct and holistic perspective.”

Speaker visits Adıyaman

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş visited the southeastern city of Adıyaman on Nov. 3, meeting with local officials and civil society representatives.

Kurtulmuş heads parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, which reviews the social, legal and political aspects of the government’s anti-terrorism campaign.

As part of the initiative, PKK has declared a ceasefire and announced plans to disarm and dissolve following calls from Öcalan.