Istanbul Member of Parliament for the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) and member of the İmralı delegation Sırrı Süreyya Önder has made a statement on the second meeting with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Earlier today, Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç had said that there had not been an application yet for a second İmralı meeting.
Önder responded to this statement, saying, “We will apply at the shortest notice, sometime next week”.
Responding to journalists’ questions before the Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting, Tunç had stated that there had not been an application as of yet, adding, “If an application is made, we will assess it”.
What happened?
At a parliamentary group meeting on 26 November 2024, National Movement Party Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli said, “We expect a face-to-face meeting with İmralı (Prison, where Abdullah Öcalan is imprisoned) and DEM”.
DEM Co-Chairperson Tuncer Bakırhan then responded to Bahçeli’s call with the words, “We, as co-chairpersons want to meet with Mr. Öcalan to contribute to peace in this country”.
On the same day, DEM applied to the Ministry of Justice to meet with Öcalan.
A month later, the Ministry of Justice responded positively to DEM’s application and on 28 November, Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder travelled to İmralı Island to meet with Öcalan who is imprisoned there.
According to Buldan and Önder’s statement following the meeting, Öcalan, with a 7-point declaration, made “remarks towards establishing a permanent solution to the Kurdish issue”.
This was followed by Önder, Buldan and Ahmet Türk, who was added to the delegation, meeting with representatives of other political parties. The delegation has so far met with representatives of MHP, Gelecek Partisi (Future Party), AKP, Saadet (Felicity Party), CHP (Republican People’s Party), YRP (New Welfare Party) and others.
(RT/NHRD)
