The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, known for its pro-Kurdish policies, will hold talks with political parties in Turkey’s Grand National Assembly (TBMM) on Monday 6 January. The meetings are aimed at sharing insights from recent talks with Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as part of efforts to resolve the Kurdish issue.
On Thursday, representatives of the DEM Party, including MPs Pervin Buldan, Ahmet Türk and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, met with Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), to discuss the issue. These talks followed a meeting between the DEM Party delegation and Öcalan on İmralı Island, which reignited the debate on possible solutions to the Kurdish question.
DEM Party delegation meets key political leaders in Ankara, including Devlet Bahçeli
It is expected that the dialogue will be extended to both the ruling and opposition parties in the upcoming meetings.
According to a statement from the DEM Party, the delegation’s schedule for Monday includes meetings with three political parties:
– A morning meeting with Ahmet Davutoğlu, leader of the Future Party, at his party’s headquarters.
– Discussions with representatives of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at the TBMM.
– A final meeting with Mahmut Arıkan, leader of the Felicity Party, at his party’s headquarters.
On Tuesday 7 January, the DEM Party plans to continue its talks, starting with DEVA party leader Ali Babacan at the party’s headquarters, followed by a visit to Fatih Erbakan, leader of the New Welfare Party.
In particular, the meeting with the AKP marks the first direct engagement between representatives of the DEM Party and the ruling party. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and AKP officials have issued numerous statements in response to comments from the leader of the Republican People’s Party (MHP) on Öcalan and the Kurdish issue. However, they have not yet held formal talks with the DEM Party. The expected talks are expected to focus on Öcalan’s perspectives and possible ways to resolve long-standing tensions.
The upcoming meetings reflect the DEM Party’s efforts to broaden the political consensus on the Kurdish issue, which remains a contentious issue in Turkish politics.
