President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday met with Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party’s (DEM Party) Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan, who formed a delegation as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative, to discuss the process.
The meeting took place in the Presidential Complex in the capital, Ankara, with Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chair Efkan Ala and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalın also in attendance.
“Both he (Erdoğan) and we will talk about his own views and suggestions, and we will share our own. We believe that both the democratic politics field as well as peace and action toward it will continue with faster and more quality steps from now on,” Önder told reporters ahead of the meeting at Parliament.
Buldan for her part said that the president would exchange views with the delegation for the first time.
PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in late February called on his group to lay down arms and dissolve in what would mark the end of more than four decades of the PKK’s campaign of terrorism targeting Türkiye.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally Devlet Bahçeli. The DEM Party was a messenger for Öcalan in talks to realize the initiative. The PKK is expected to hold a “congress” this spring to announce its full compliance with Öcalan’s call.
However, the terrorist group has set conditions, including Öcalan’s release.
Ankara has so far rejected the demands, including the unilateral cease-fire announced by the group.
In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly.