Öcalan issues new statement on peace bid
ISTANBUL
The imprisoned leader of PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, described the government’s ongoing peace initiative as a “historic issue” in a new message shared by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Nov. 4.
The message came a day after a delegation including DEM Party lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, along with lawyer Faik Özgür Erol, visited Öcalan on the İmralı prison island off Istanbul on Nov. 3.
According to the party’s statement, Öcalan appeared to be in good health and high spirits during the three-hour meeting.
“Advancing the process requires taking history and sociology more seriously,” Öcalan reportedly said. “Serious efforts are being made for a historic issue under limited conditions.”
He urged all sides to “act by creating a horizon that encompasses our current problems, not by drawing lines,” emphasizing that Turkish-Kurdish relations rest on deep historical foundations.
The visit and Öcalan’s remarks mark the latest development in Ankara’s "terror-free Türkiye" initiative.
