Ankara- The Kurdistan Workers’ Party file has returned to the forefront in Turkey, driven by remarkable political developments, most notably the visit of a delegation from the Popular Equality and Democracy Party (Dem) to the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan in his prison on Imrali Island, on December 28, which is the first since 10 years.
The delegation included MPs Seri Soraya Onder and Parvin Buldan, who discussed with Ocalan the latest developments in the political situation and conveyed his vision for the next stage. Following the visit, the delegation held meetings with the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş and the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahçeli, with the participation of the veteran Kurdish politician Ahmed Turk, Representative Onder described the discussions as positive, stressing that they included new proposals in an optimistic spirit.
These developments come after an initiative launched by Bahceli last October, when he shook hands with representatives of the “Dem” Party in the Turkish Parliament, in a move that represented a shift in the approach of the Nationalist Party, and this was followed by his call for Ocalan to dissolve the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and abandon weapons in exchange for benefiting from the “right to hope.” “.
The Dem delegation conveyed Ocalan’s support for the new model proposed by Erdogan and Bahceli, stressing the need to strengthen Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood as a historical responsibility.
He also called for a pivotal role for Parliament in supporting political solutions, and Ocalan linked this initiative to regional developments in Gaza and Syria, considering that ending external interference is necessary to address the Kurdish crisis.
Internal contrast
The delegation of the “Popular Equality and Democracy” Party announced that it is going to visit all Turkish parties to discuss the new political process and take their proposals into consideration. As part of these efforts, the delegation visited today, Monday, the leaders of the “Justice and Development” Party in the Turkish Parliament, and also met with the head of the Future Party, Ahmed Daoud. Oglu, to discuss developments in the political process.
The ongoing political process is witnessing a clear difference in the positions of the Turkish parties towards the initiative related to resolving the Kurdish issue. While the Justice and Development Party and its ally, the National Movement Party, support the efforts aimed at involving Abdullah Ocalan in finding a comprehensive solution to the issue, the positions of the other opposition parties vary between caution and And sharp criticism.
For his part, the leader of the opposition and head of the Republican People’s Party, Ozgur Ozil, confirmed that his party will support the process on the condition that it is implemented transparently and does not exclude any political actor. He said, “Social consensus is very important, and every step must take into account the feelings of the families of martyrs and veterans.”
In this context, the head of the Future Party, Ahmet Davutoğlu, expected that the process would include placing Abdullah Ocalan under house arrest instead of remaining in Imrali prison if the current efforts succeeded. He stressed that the “right to hope” is a legal concept that must be addressed with a strategic plan to close this file.
On the other hand, the head of the Victory Party, Umit Ozdag, launched a sharp attack on the People’s Alliance, which includes the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement, describing it as an “alliance of shame,” and indicated that the government is now resorting to the mediation of Abdullah Ocalan, whom he described as “a criminal who caused Killing more than 40,000 people.
In turn, the head of the Geyid Party, Musawat Dervisoglu, expressed his dissatisfaction with the ongoing meetings, indicating that he does not know the nature of the “model” that Abdullah Ocalan is talking about.
He added, “The Turkish state should not expect any hope from a terrorist like Ocalan. This is shameful in my opinion.” He also explained that he would study the documents of the meetings, if possible, before issuing a final assessment.
Chances of success
Commenting on whether the new process has real chances of success, the researcher on Turkish affairs, Ali Asmar, said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that history shows that every political attempt to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey faces an escalation from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which reduces the chances of success. It is largely related to the ability to contain these threats and manage the stage wisely.
He pointed to historical examples that confirm this escalation, explaining that in 1993 a presidential amnesty coincided with an ambush that killed 33 soldiers, and in 2009 7 soldiers were killed during the “Democratic Openness Initiative,” while 2011 witnessed an attack in Diyarbakir that resulted in the killing of 13 soldiers after… Declaration of the “Peace Council”.
He pointed out that the escalation was repeated last year, 2024, with an attack targeting the headquarters of the “Tusas” company in Ankara, a day after Devlet Bahceli called for an end to terrorism, which highlights continuing challenges facing the success of the current operation.
Asmar believes that the success or failure of the initiative depends largely on the Western powers that support the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. He said, “This organization cannot continue without financial, logistical, and military support from abroad.”
He added that Turkey seeks to end the case through “a political path that includes commuting the sentence for Abdullah Ocalan, laying down weapons by the fighters, and settling their legal status in accordance with Turkish laws. This could lead to the formation of new Kurdish parties that will participate in the political process in Türkiye in the future.” .
Asmar stressed that Abdullah Ocalan’s acceptance of the initiative and its rejection by the leaders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in the Qandil Mountains will be a positive development for Turkey, because it will lead to an internal division within the party’s ranks, and will enable Turkey to consider the fighters who reject the initiative “disobedient,” not only against the Turkish state, But also against their symbol, Ocalan, which will give Ankara international legitimacy to intensify its military operations against them.
He added, “If both Ocalan and the fighters accept this initiative, Turkey will achieve great success at the beginning of its new century, which will be reflected in northeastern Syria, and will increase the chances of the Justice and Development Party winning the upcoming elections.”
Asmar pointed out that the real obstacle lies in Western support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and said, “This party cannot continue if it is cut off from financial, logistical, and military support. Turkey has put pressure on some European countries – such as Sweden – to stop this support, but France remains its largest supporter.” At the current stage.”
He concluded his speech by saying, “In the coming period, Ankara will seek to pressure Paris to stop this unjustified support,” noting that ending it will be key to achieving the success of the ongoing political process.