Erdogan Meets Pro-Kurdish DEM Party Members to Discuss Ceasefire Process

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a significant meeting with officials from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party (DEM) on Wednesday, April 10, to discuss the next steps in the ongoing ceasefire process with Kurdish militants.

The meeting included Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, two DEM Party lawmakers who had previously met with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in prison. Öcalan’s call for the PKK to dissolve itself in February had marked a pivotal moment in the peace talks.

For Buldan, the meeting with Erdogan marked a historic moment. Speaking to the press outside the Türkiye parliament before heading to the presidential palace, Buldan emphasized that this was the first time Erdogan had engaged with a member of the delegation that met Öcalan. She explained that the conversation would revolve around the progress of the ceasefire process, with both sides offering their views and suggestions for the future.

The meeting, which lasted about 85 minutes, was a key opportunity for both sides to exchange perspectives on the ongoing peace process. A formal statement is expected to be released later Thursday, according to the DEM Party.

The Kurdish insurgency, which began in 1984, has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people and left tens of thousands injured, including members of Türkiye's security forces, militants, and civilians. The violence has had a profound impact on both Türkiye society and its long-standing efforts to resolve the conflict.

Copied