Turkey’s Parliament must now assume a leading role in resolving the decades-long Kurdish conflict, Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said on Wednesday, pointing to recent statements by jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) indicating readiness for disarmament, during a high-level meeting with far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli in Ankara.
Kurtulmuş declared: “A new process has begun. Öcalan’s call and the PKK’s declared compliance signal a historic opportunity. The Turkish Grand National Assembly now has a central responsibility.”
The two parliamentarians held a 25-minute meeting, followed by a joint press conference where Kurtulmuş outlined steps for launching a parliamentary initiative. He proposed the formation of a special commission comprising all political parties to oversee and guide the process, under parliamentary control and public scrutiny.
"This is not a matter of political bargaining, but a voluntary process of unity and brotherhood," he stressed. "In a region undergoing rapid change, Turkey now faces a historic chance for peace. It requires a responsibility beyond partisan politics."
Kurtulmuş credited Bahçeli for playing a “historic role” in past peace efforts and said broad parliamentary consensus would be crucial for any sustainable outcome.
When asked about the timing of the proposed commission, Kurtulmuş confirmed that discussions were ongoing and that the body could be formed “as soon as possible”, ideally before Parliament’s summer recess.
The remarks follow renewed public interest in a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue after Öcalan’s reported message from his prison cell on İmralı Island and subsequent announcements by the PKK expressing willingness to lay down arms.
Kurtulmuş urged all parties to shoulder responsibility, calling it a “non-partisan national duty” to complete the process through dialogue and legislative leadership.
