“Parliament has a historic duty to help resolve this issue and establish peace,” said Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, after meeting Speaker of Parliament Numan Kurtulmuş in Ankara on Monday.
The meeting, held in the DEM Party’s offices within the Turkish Grand National Assembly, came one day ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary vote to elect the new Speaker – a post Kurtulmuş is expected to retain. But discussions quickly turned to the possibility of renewed dialogue around Turkey’s decades-long Kurdish conflict.
“This period — shaped by calls for peace and a democratic society — has placed a great responsibility on Parliament,” Hatimoğulları told reporters. “We had the opportunity to discuss this in detail with the Speaker, particularly Parliament’s role in resolving the issue and laying the groundwork for democratisation.”
Her remarks follow recent statements relayed from Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan – who is detained on the high security prison island of İmralı – and from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) indicating willingness to pursue disarmament. While no official peace process has been launched, the political tone has shifted in recent weeks.
“We also understood from the Speaker that he shares the view expressed by Mr Bahçeli that a commission in Parliament could contribute significantly to resolving this matter,” Hatimoğulları added, referring to unexpected comments by far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli suggesting parliamentary involvement.
Hatimoğulları was joined by fellow DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan and party group leaders Sezai Temelli and Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit. Kurtulmuş was accompanied by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) group leader Abdullah Güler and deputy group leader Leyla Şahin Usta.
Following the closed-door talks, Kurtulmuş described the meeting as “extremely constructive and productive”.
“We had the opportunity to discuss how Turkey can rid itself of terrorism completely, ensure national unity, and raise democratic standards,” Kurtulmuş said. “Following the statement from İmralı and the PKK’s announcement on laying down arms, the issue has now reached a stage where it can be discussed within Parliament — the heart of Turkish democracy.”
Kurtulmuş signalled readiness to begin preparatory work on a new parliamentary commission, stressing that “a careful, detailed process” would guide its formation and procedures.
“All political parties must adopt a constructive approach and make the best use of this historic opportunity,” he said.
No timeline has been given for such a commission, and opposition parties have yet to comment.
A 2013–2015 peace process between the Turkish state and the PKK collapsed into renewed violence. DEM Party politicians have long called for a non-military solution, insisting that parliament must take the lead.
