Abdullah Öcalan’s recent messages were read by pro-Kurdish party MP and veteran journalist Cengiz Çandar in Turkey’s Parliament on Thursday, signalling what he described as the start of a potential new era for societal peace and national unity. Çandar conveyed Öcalan’s words, which emphasised his willingness to contribute to peace and strengthen Turkey’s internal front, stating, “I am here for the country’s societal peace, for reinforcing the internal front, and I have both the will and the power to contribute.”
Çandar, an MP for Diyarbakır (Amed) with the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, interpreted Öcalan’s message as a call for reconciliation, stressing that Kurdish well-being is essential to building lasting peace within Turkey. “Achieving societal peace means ensuring the Kurdish people’s contentment, which could naturally extend positive effects throughout the region,” Çandar said, suggesting that such progress could reshape perceptions of Kurds in Syria and Iraq, removing the view of them as a threat to Turkey’s stability.
Additionally, Çandar welcomed recent remarks by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, describing them as “reassuring” for Turkey’s future, and expressed hope that Öcalan’s message could lay the groundwork for renewed efforts toward a unified Turkey.
