A parliamentary commission overseeing Türkiye's latest peace push will convene on Nov. 18, after two postponements, the office of Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has announced.
The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission is expected to hear from Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın at what will be its 17th meeting.
The session was originally set for Nov. 6 but was delayed to Nov. 13 due to “technical reasons” following Kurtulmuş’s consultations with party representatives. It was postponed again after a Turkish military cargo plane crashed in Georgia on Nov. 11, killing all 20 soldiers aboard.
The delays have stalled a decision on whether the commission will send a delegation to meet jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on the İmralı prison island as part of the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative.
Introduced by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and backed by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the proposal comes as PKK has declared a ceasefire, disbanded its forces and announced its withdrawal to northern Iraq under the plan.
The DEM Party has played a key role in facilitating indirect contact between Ankara and Öcalan, with party delegations making regular visits to İmralı, most recently on Nov. 3. Senior party deputies Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar also met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 30, a meeting Erdoğan later described as “promising” and “constructive.”
Earlier, Kurtulmuş said the 51-member commission could approve an Öcalan visit with a “qualified majority” of 31 votes. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) controls 22 seats, while the DEM Party and MHP together hold nine — a bloc that could reach the threshold if unified. The position of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), with 11 seats, remains unclear.
Since its formation, the panel has heard from cabinet members, labor unions, business groups, academics, legal experts, families of fallen soldiers and civil society organizations. Its findings will be compiled into a report to be submitted to parliament’s general assembly later this month, according to Kurtulmuş.
