ANKARA,— Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey has entered a “new stage” in efforts to end its decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants and suggested he could consider allowing jailed Kurdish leader and PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan to address lawmakers.
Speaking to members of his ruling AK Party, Erdogan described last week’s meeting with leaders of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party as “very constructive.”
The DEM Party has proposed that Ocalan, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party founder imprisoned since 1999, be invited to speak to a parliamentary commission tasked with discussing PKK disarmament.
“We seem to have reached a turning point toward a Turkey free from terrorism,” Erdogan told lawmakers. “All parties must take part in this effort.”
He said that all relevant sides should be heard and that differing opinions should not be excluded from the process.
The PKK took up arms in 1984 against the Turkish state, which still does not recognize Kurds constitutionally.
The group originally sought autonomy in Turkish Kurdistan for the Kurdish population, which accounts for nearly 30 percent of Turkey’s 85 million people, according to 2012 data. The conflict has cost more than 40,000 lives, including Turkish troops and Kurdish guerrillas according to Turkey.
Ocalan remains the most prominent figure in the Kurdish movement and, according to analysts, represents the Kurdish struggle for cultural rights and democratic participation.
Though imprisoned on Imrali Island for over 25 years, he has previously called on PKK fighters to lay down arms and pursue political solutions.
The DEM Party argues that Ocalan’s involvement is necessary due to his influence among Kurdish communities and his past role in earlier peace talks. The government has not confirmed any plan to permit contact with him.
A peace process between Ankara and the PKK collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed fighting in Turkish Kurdistan (Bakur Kurdistan), the Kurdish region in southeastern Turkey.
Erdogan did not specify the framework of the new initiative but said he believes it can succeed with broad participation.
His remarks came shortly after nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli said it “would be beneficial” to release Selahattin Demirtas, the former pro-Kurdish party leader jailed since 2016.
Bahceli, once a fierce opponent of Kurdish political rights, first proposed resuming dialogue last year.
“With courage and perseverance, we will bring this process to a successful conclusion,” Erdogan said.
Many Kurds in Turkey and abroad express open support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan.
Analysts say Ocalan remains a central figure for millions of Kurds, symbolizing their demand for cultural rights and political recognition.
His influence extends beyond Turkey’s borders, where he is viewed as a leading voice for Kurdish identity and democratic freedoms. Over the years, Ocalan has become a lasting symbol of the broader Kurdish struggle, according to analysts.
(With files from Reuters | Agencies)
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