Turkey's Erdogan meets Kurdish DEM Party to discuss peace talks

Turkeys Erdogan meets Kurdish DEM Party delegation to discuss peace talks — Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan (C) poses with pro-Kurdish DEM Party lawmakers Pervin Buldan (R) and Sirri Surya Onder in Ankara, Turkey, April 10, 2025. Turkish Presidency

The meeting with Erdogan was “very positive and productive,” Kurdish DEM party politicians said

ANKARA,— Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Thursday with senior members of the Kurdish Democratic Equality of Peoples’ Party (DEM Party), marking his first direct engagement with Kurdish political leaders in 13 years.

The meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara brought together Erdogan and DEM Party figures Pervin Buldan, MP for Van, and Sirri Sureyya Onder, MP for Istanbul and deputy speaker of parliament.

The talks follow the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) recent declaration of a ceasefire after imprisoned Kurdish leader and the founder on PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, urged the group to disarm and dissolve. The statement came on the heels of remarks from Devlet Bahceli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), that observers viewed as signaling a possible return to dialogue.

Sirri Sureyya Onder told reporters outside Parliament that the group had shared both its own proposals and those of Ocalan with the President. “We conveyed views on the future of the peace process,” Onder said. “Progress in democratic politics and a peaceful resolution are possible through serious and structured steps.”

Buldan described the meeting as significant, emphasizing that it was the first time Erdogan had openly discussed such matters with them. “We briefed him on our past talks. May it lead to a peaceful outcome for Turkey,” she said.

The PKK, formed in 1974 and launching armed struggle in 1984, has sought greater autonomy for the Kurdish minority, who make up nearly 30% of the country’s 85-million population in Turkish Kurdistan (Bakur). The Turkish government still does not officially recognize Kurds as a distinct constitutional group.

The decades-long conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 individuals, including both Turkish security forces and Kurdish fighters.

The PKK’s operations are generally aimed at Turkish military and security forces, with a stated effort to minimize civilian harm. This has led some advocacy groups to question whether its terrorist label should be reevaluated by global authorities.

Ocalan, regarded by many Kurds as a symbolic figure, has been imprisoned on Imrali Island near Istanbul since his capture by Turkish intelligence agents in Kenya in 1999.

Despite recent signals of engagement, the DEM Party stated in March 2025 that closed-door meetings with representatives from Erdogan’s ruling alliance did not produce any specific commitments toward a formal peace process, even after the PKK’s disarmament offer.

“We heard general phrases like ‘a terror-free Turkey’ and ‘this issue must be resolved quickly,’ but no clear plan or timeline was presented,” said Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit, DEM’s deputy parliamentary group chair.

According to Kocyigit, the party presented a list of democratic demands including judicial reforms, changes to anti-terror laws, and an end to the appointment of state trustees in place of elected opposition mayors. She also called for confidence-building measures such as easing Ocalan’s prison conditions and halting military operations in Kurdish regions.

Cemil Bayik, co-chair of the Executive Council of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the political umbrella organization linked to the PKK, said in March that the group’s leadership is unable to hold formal discussions on disbanding due to ongoing Turkish military operations.

“The current security environment does not allow us to convene,” Bayik said. “There are constant surveillance flights, regular bombings, and continued assaults on our positions. Under such conditions, it is not possible to organize a congress or make collective decisions.”

Bayik’s remarks highlight the challenges facing any potential steps toward the group’s dissolution.

As of Thursday, the Presidency has not released an official statement regarding the outcome of the talks.

After the meeting, the Kurdish delegation on Thursday described the talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “very positive and productive.”, issuing a statement that reflected a cautiously optimistic tone.

“The meeting was both constructive and promising,” the group said following the session at the Presidential Palace. “We are more hopeful today than we were yesterday, and we share that hope with the people.”

(With files from ANF News Agency| Agencies)