The opposition Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is scheduled to visit other political parties after the PKK terrorist group announced it would dissolve itself last week. The party, linked to the group, is among the components of the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched last year by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
DEM Party’s lawmakers served as messengers between Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed terrorist leader of the PKK, and political parties, carrying his messages that ultimately led to Öcalan’s historic call in February to the PKK to lay down arms.
The party’s co-chairs, Tuncer Bakırhan, Tülay Hatimoğulları, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit and Sezai Temelli, plan to meet representatives of other parties to discuss the process after the PKK announced dissolution plans on May 12. A visit will be scheduled with the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) and the Felicity Party (SP). They are already scheduled to visit the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Tuesday and the Future Party (GP) on May 23.
Pervin Buldan, a lawmaker for the DEM Party who was part of a delegation that has repeatedly visited Öcalan for the terror-free Türkiye initiative since last year, met Öcalan again on Sunday. Buldan, accompanied by the latter’s lawyer Özgür Erol, relayed the terrorist leader’s latest message on Monday. Öcalan said in his message that the initiative was building bridges between Turks and Kurds and that Türkiye needed a “new contract for brotherhood.”