A parliamentary commission guiding Türkiye's latest peace initiative is set to vote Nov. 21 on whether to send a delegation to the İmralı prison island off Istanbul to meet with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
At the commission’s 17th meeting on Nov. 18, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın briefed lawmakers on the latest developments in the process.
Kalın answered questions from members of parliament during a second presentation, while Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş later held a closed-door session with the panel.
In a statement after the meeting, the panel said it would "evaluate the work it has carried out to date and discuss its future work, including the issue of visiting the İmralı High Security Prison." The vote is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Nov. 21.
The announcement follows comments by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli that he is prepared to visit Öcalan himself if the commission fails to act.
"If the goal of a terror-free Türkiye is to be achieved with honest and sincere measures, there is no point in resisting a visit to İmralı," Bahçeli said Nov. 18. "If no one is willing to make this visit… I would take three friends with me and not hesitate to go to İmralı with our own means. I will not shy away from sitting face to face [with Öcalan] at a table."
MHP deputy leader Feti Yıldız said in an X post on Nov. 19 that the delegation would include one lawmaker from each party represented in parliament. He added that any party unwilling to participate "should make its position clearly and transparently public."
A qualified majority of 31 out of 51 commission members is required to approve the visit. The proposal, introduced by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), comes as PKK declared a ceasefire, disbanded its forces and announced its decision to withdraw its armed units in Türkiye to northern Iraq.
The DEM Party has been central in maintaining indirect channels between Ankara and Öcalan, with delegations visiting İmralı regularly. Senior MPs Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar also met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 30 in what Erdoğan described as a “promising and constructive” discussion.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) holds 22 seats on the commission, while the DEM Party and MHP together control nine, a bloc that could reach the threshold if unified. The stance of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, with 11 seats, remains uncertain.
Although the commission does not draft legislation, it is expected to propose frameworks for legal regulations related to the reintegration of PKK members, including amendments to the anti-terrorism law and the execution law.
Since its formation, the panel has consulted cabinet ministers, labor unions, business groups, academics, legal experts, families of fallen soldiers and civil society organizations. Kurtulmuş said the panel's findings will be compiled into a report to be presented to the general assembly later this month.
