A delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party will meet Turkey’s justice minister Yılmaz Tunç on 18 April to discuss legal reforms tied to the Kurdish peace process.
The meeting follows a significant discussion with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at his presidential complex in Ankara on 10 April, marking the first time he has formally hosted the delegation there. The İmralı Delegation, named after İmralı Island where Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan is imprisoned, described the hour-long meeting with Erdoğan as constructive. Talks covered Öcalan’s conditions, the rights of sick prisoners and steps toward democratic reforms.
Delegation member Pervin Buldan highlighted the shift in engagement. “This demonstrates that Erdoğan, as President, is directly involved,” she stated on Medya Haber TV on 11 April. She stressed the need for parliament to lead the process, urging a mechanism involving all parties.
The DEM Party, which advocates for Kurdish rights and democratic freedoms, is seeking to revive negotiations to end Turkey’s decades-long conflict with Kurdish groups.
The justice ministry meeting will focus on proposed laws and further dialogue. A visit to Öcalan on İmralı Island is planned post-meeting, though no date is confirmed.
Momentum for talks resumed after Öcalan’s call for reconciliation in February, albeit with a brief pause following the arrest in March of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Buldan expressed optimism, saying, “These steps will be taken in such a way that people will soon see and feel [the difference].”
