Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM party on Monday, marking a significant step in Turkey’s renewed peace efforts with Kurdish militants. The meeting follows recent progress toward ending the PKK’s decades-long armed struggle.
The talks were held at the presidential complex in Ankara and lasted just over an hour. Erdogan was joined by senior AKP leader Efkan Ala and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Representing DEM were lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, both of whom called the meeting “historic” and “crucial” for the peace process.
This new phase comes after jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan expressed support for ending the conflict. Buldan and Sancar had met Ocalan a day earlier, describing the discussion as “very productive.” Ocalan reportedly sees the next steps with Erdogan as vital to the success of the disarmament.
DEM has proposed forming a parliamentary commission to help guide the process, a move Ocalan believes will be essential. The party told AFP that the commission may be officially formed by mid-July and could oversee key decisions in the months ahead.
Meanwhile, the PKK is set to begin disarming in a ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan between July 10 and 12. Turkish intelligence chief Kalin is scheduled to travel to Baghdad for talks on managing the logistics of the weapons surrender.
Following his Iraq visit, Kalin is expected to meet with Turkey’s parliamentary speaker to finalize the details of the new commission. If successful, this process could mark a turning point in resolving one of Turkey’s longest-running conflicts.