Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, speaking at her party’s weekly parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, condemned the far-right ruling partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli’s confrontational rhetoric and urged the government to open İmralı Prison for discussions with Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader. Hatimoğulları’s remarks addressed escalating tensions surrounding Turkey’s Kurdish question and criticised Ankara’s regional policies as unsustainable.
Responding to Bahçeli’s recent criticism of the DEM Party, Hatimoğulları said, “Threats cannot build dialogue. We call on the authorities: abandon this language of intimidation and demonstrate courage by reopening İmralı for constructive talks.” She highlighted that resolving the Kurdish question requires authentic dialogue and courage rather than posturing.
Hatimoğulları revealed that last week, she and her co-chair, Tuncer Bakırhan, formally requested permission to visit Öcalan on İmralı Island, but the government has yet to respond. “We will continue to monitor this process,” she said, adding, “President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan recently spoke of bold steps. We urge the government to turn this rhetoric into action by facilitating dialogue.”
In a speech attended by international observers who had applied to meet Öcalan, Hatimoğulları framed the DEM Party as a force for peace, rejecting claims that it opposes solutions. “We stand for honourable peace. To suggest otherwise is baseless slander,” she stated.
The DEM Party leader also addressed broader regional dynamics, describing a growing crisis in the Middle East marked by proxy wars, displacement, and instability. She warned that Turkey’s involvement in Syria and support for factions such as the Syrian National Army (SNA) could backfire.
“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), SNA, and their allies are wreaking havoc in Aleppo, Tel Rifaat, and beyond. These groups, supported by Turkey, act as proxies in a devastating power game,” she said. “But this strategy will harm Turkey itself. The same factions have turned against Ankara before, as seen in the 2013 Reyhanlı incident.”
Hatimoğulları pointed to recent escalations in Gaza and Syria, arguing that Turkey must prioritise regional peace over “neo-Ottoman fantasies”. She called for a shift from aggressive foreign policies to a regional framework grounded in coexistence.
“This chaos in the Middle East threatens us all. Turkey must learn from its mistakes in Syria and stop chasing reckless ambitions,” she emphasised.
Drawing attention to Turkey’s domestic and international challenges, Hatimoğulları argued that peace, not militarisation, offers the most secure path forward. “Peace is more effective than weapons, tanks, or missiles in ensuring safety,” she declared.
Concluding her remarks, Hatimoğulları reaffirmed the DEM Party’s commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish question. “We will persist in our quest for peace, no matter how many barriers are placed in our way,” she said. “It takes courage to face the truth, and we will continue flying towards the horizon of peace.”
