Erdogan meets with pro-Kurdish DEM Party for first time in 13 years

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Equality of Peoples’ Party (DEM Party) at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Thursday, marking his first direct engagement with Kurdish politicians in 13 years.

The meeting, which began at 1:30 p.m., included DEM Party representatives Pervin Buldan, MP for Van, and Sirri Sureyya Onder, MP for Istanbul and deputy speaker of the Turkish Parliament.

The talks come amid what appears to be a renewed peace process initially sparked by comments from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli and followed by imprisoned PKK terrorist group’s ringleader Abdullah Ocalan’s call for the organization to lay down arms and dissolve itself.

“We will share both our views and proposals, and they will share theirs,” Onder told journalists before the meeting. “We believe that both the democratic political sphere and peace-related activities will continue with much faster and more substantial steps from now on.”

Onder added, “We have brought the process to this point with great determination and we have acted very carefully. Everyone has acted this way, and we are grateful to the entire country for that.”

Buldan emphasized the historic nature of the meeting, stating, “This is an important meeting. So far, we have held many discussions with opposition party leaders, with Mr. Ocalan in Imrali, and also with civil society organizations.”

“Today, we will meet with the President. I would like to particularly emphasize the importance of this meeting because the President will perhaps exchange views with us on this issue for the first time,” Buldan continued. “He will express his views on what needs to be done, and we will inform him about all the discussions we have had. May it lead to peace. We might make a written statement afterward.”