Members of the Turkish parliament’s committee on the peace process with the Kurds have called on the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalanfirst visited in prison. The meeting with Öcalan, who has been imprisoned for treason since 1999, “brought positive results,” the president of Türkiye’s parliament said.
According to information, what was discussed was the issue of dissolution and disarmament PKK and the integration of Kurdish fighters into the Syrian army. The exchange is seen as an important step in a peace initiative to end the decades-long conflict.
According to media reports, the meeting on the prison island of Imralı was attended by people close to him Istanbul three committee members took part. Therefore, the conversation lasted about five hours.
Öcalan is considered a key figure in the peace process
Öcalan founded the PKK in 1978. In the 1980s, they began an armed struggle against government forces in southeastern Turkey – initially for a Kurdish state, then for greater autonomy and rights in Turkey.
In May, the PKK announced its dissolution and ended its decades-long armed struggle for Kurdish rights. In early July, 30 PKK fighters symbolically burned their weapons in a ceremony in the Kurdish region of Iraq. In doing so, they followed Öcalan’s call.
Öcalan, born in 1949, is still considered a key figure in the peace process. However, many Turks blame him for the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including many civilians. Türkiye and some of its allies classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.
