PKK leader reaffirms hope for peace process, highlights Önder's role
Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has expressed support for Deputy Parliament Speaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a key figure in the ongoing Kurdish peace talks who remains in critical condition after a heart surgery last week.
Pervin Buldan, a senior member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, alongside one of Öcalan's lawyers, visited the PKK leader yesterday at the İmralı island prison, where he has been held for over 25 years. Önder was originally a member of the DEM delegation holding talks with Öcalan but was not able to attend the latest meeting due to his health condition.
Sırrı Süreyya Önder remains in critical condition six days after heart surgery
After the meeting, the DEM delegation held a press conference outside the hospital where Önder is staying in Şişli, İstanbul to deliver Öcalan's message.
The meeting lasted two and a half hours and was "very productive," said Buldan, adding that Öcalan remained hopeful for a solution to the Kurdish questions.
Öcalan wished a speedy recovery for Önder, whom he described as "a person who is making a great effort for peace and who can break social prejudices," as quoted by Buldan.
Öcalan also described Önder as a figure who embodies a legacy of peace rooted in Anatolia’s cultural heritage," conveyed Buldan. "As an idealist person from Adıyaman and of Turkmen origin, he represents the Baba Ishak tradition.
"What lives on in him is what we call the genes and culture of Anatolia. Peace means making those Turkmen traditions and Anatolian roots livable. This is what Önder stands for, the essence of true Turkmen identity, which is the strongest peace culture. He stands in complete contrast to the mindset that insists on hostility and politicizing enmity.”
Profile: Who is Sırrı Süreyya Önder, the pro-Kurdish politician shaped by activism, labor and cinema?
Speaking about the matter today, DEM Party co-leader Tuncer Bakırhan also emphasized Önder's ability to gain respect from all segments of society and the political spectrum.
"I’ve never seen anything like it in my life," he told his party's parliamentary group. "Since the first day, all the colors of Turkey, political parties, democratic mass organizations were in front of the hospital. They sent messages, called us. A truly unprecedented solidarity and ownership emerged."
He thanked figures across the political spectrum for their support, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, government officials and party leaders.
Önder was hospitalized on late Apr 15 after suffering a cardiac arrest due to a tear in his aorta, the main artery leading to the heart. His condition remains critical, according to a statement his doctors issued yesterday.
A scheduled visit to Öcalan was delayed to today after Önder was hospitalized.
About the peace process, Bakırhan said, “Our colleagues informed us that Mr. Öcalan is continuing his work with high morale and intensity," adding that Öcalan is "hopeful and believes the process will gain pace in the coming days.”
According to Bakırhan, the recent meeting will be evaluated by the party’s committees, and a public statement will follow once that internal review is complete.
The peace process
Önder and Buldan had met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Apr 10 in what was the first meeting with the president since the start of the initiative. The meeting was also attended by senior presidential advisor and MP Efkan Ala and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın.
After the roughly 85-minute meeting, Önder described the talks as “very positive” and added, “We are much more hopeful. The president is in an important position on this matter. Our goal is to achieve peace.”
Buldan also characterized the meeting as “very, very productive,” saying, “The process is moving forward well.”
This latest peace initiative, framed by the ruling bloc as a push for a “terror-free Turkey,” began in October following a public appeal from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, a key partner of Erdoğan. Bahçeli suggested that Öcalan could be granted access to “right to hope,” a legal pathway that could lead to release, in exchange for dissolving the PKK.
Since then, DEM Party delegations have held multiple meetings with Öcalan, following years of restrictions on the PKK leader’s access to the outside world. Following the meeting on Feb 27, Öcalan called on the PKK was urged to lay down arms after four decades of armed insurgency.
In response, the group stated that it would abide by the call if and when Öcalan is granted the right to hope, namely opportunity to manage the peace process from outside prison. (VK)