Fri Dec 27 20:51:52 UTC 2024: ## Turkish Government to Allow Pro-Kurdish Party Meeting with Jailed PKK Founder

**Ankara, Turkey** – In a significant development, Turkey’s Justice Ministry has approved a request by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) to visit Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), on Imrali island prison. This marks the first such visit in almost a decade.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed the decision, stating that the meeting will likely take place this weekend, weather permitting. DEM MPs Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, who participated in previous peace talks with Ocalan, will conduct the visit.

The move follows a recent proposal by Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to potentially end the decades-long conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK. Bahceli suggested Ocalan could announce an end to the rebellion in exchange for the possibility of release. While President Erdogan expressed cautious optimism, he acknowledged the challenges involved.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has been engaged in a conflict with the Turkish state that has claimed over 40,000 lives. The conflict, once concentrated in southeastern Turkey, is now largely centered in northern Iraq where the PKK maintains a presence.

The renewed push for peace comes amidst growing regional instability and changing political dynamics. Turkey’s recent insistence on the disbandment of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, which it considers a PKK affiliate, further underscores the complex geopolitical context of this development. While the chances of a lasting peace remain uncertain, this meeting represents a potential turning point in the long-standing conflict. The Turkish government continues its crackdown on alleged PKK activities, however, with recent mayoral replacements in the southeast drawing criticism from the DEM party.

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