Turkey's Kurdish MPs meet parliament speaker, far-right leader

ISTANBUL,— A delegation from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition DEM party met with key political leaders Thursday as part of ongoing efforts to revive dialogue between Ankara and the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The three-person delegation, led by DEM members Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, held separate meetings with parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmus and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli.

The discussions focused on a rare meeting held over the weekend with Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed founder of the PKK, who has been serving a life sentence without parole on Imrali Island near Istanbul. This marked Ocalan’s first political visit in nearly a decade, signaling a potential shift in relations between the Turkish government and the PKK, which has been designated a “terrorist” organization by both the United States and the European Union.

Ocalan’s meeting, which took place two months after Bahceli made a surprising public gesture towards the PKK leader, is seen as part of tentative efforts to ease tensions.

In a significant move, Bahceli extended an invitation to Ocalan to address parliament, urging him to help disband the PKK and hinting at the possibility of an early release for the jailed leader. This overture came just before a period of intensified political activity in Syria, which put Turkey’s Kurdish issue back into the spotlight.

During the meeting with DEM lawmakers, Ocalan expressed his willingness to contribute positively to what he referred to as the “new paradigm” initiated by Bahceli and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The talks were seen as a sign of possible cooperation, with Onder and Buldan later continuing their discussions with other political parties.

Ahmet Turk, an 82-year-old veteran Kurdish politician, also joined the delegation for talks on Thursday. Turk, a long-time advocate for resolving the Kurdish issue, has been involved in peace efforts for decades.

After meeting with Kurtulmus, Onder described the discussions as “positive” and expressed optimism for the future. “We are hopeful,” Onder told reporters, according to Turkey’s NTV broadcaster. He added that further talks with Erdogan’s ruling AKP party and the main opposition CHP were planned for Monday, after which a more comprehensive briefing would be offered.

In a post on X, DEM party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan described the talks as a “historic opportunity” to reshape Turkey’s future. In a statement,

Bakirhan said Turkey and the surrounding region stand at a critical moment for possible democratic change. “This is a time for bold action and vision to achieve a lasting peace,” he added.

The PKK began its insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, demanding greater autonomy for Kurds in Turkey, where the Kurdish minority represents, in 2012, over 22.5 million of the country’s 84 million people.

The conflict has resulted in more than 40,000 deaths, including both Turkish soldiers and Kurdish guerrillas. The PKK is known for targeting military and government security facilities, while stictly avoiding civilian casualties, which has led some international groups to question its designation as a terrorist organization.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)