Erdoğan meets DEM Party MPs as anti-terror bid advances
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with a delegation from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Oct. 30 as part of the ongoing "terror-free Türkiye" initiative.
The meeting at the presidential complex, attended by lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, focused on the next stages of the initiative aimed at ending decades of conflict.
According to a written statement from the DEM Party, “comprehensive assessments” were made and both sides reached a “mutual understanding and consensus” on advancing the process “faster and more healthily.”
This was the third meeting between Erdoğan and DEM Party representatives since the initiative began, following earlier talks on April 10 and July 7. The deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Efkan Ala and intelligence Organization chief İbrahim Kalın also took part in the Oct. 30 discussions.
Before the meeting, Buldan described the encounter as “very important and meaningful,” while Sancar voiced hope that it would “yield beneficial results.”
The anti-terror bid launched in October 2024 has already seen major developments. PKK first declared a ceasefire before announcing its decision to disband and disarm, later withdrawing its remaining forces from Türkiye to northern Iraq.
The first meeting between Erdoğan and a DEM delegation on April 10 marked the sides’ first direct contact in 13 years. That delegation included Buldan and late MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder.
In parliament, the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission continues to oversee the process. The body held its 16th meeting on Oct. 30, hearing from Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said lawmakers would “do their part" once it is determined that the terror group has liquidated its assets on the ground. The commission is expected to hear from Kalın next week.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli’s call last year for jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan to address parliament marked the symbolic beginning of what officials now call the "terror-free Türkiye" process.
