Turkey Weighs Meeting with Jailed Kurdish Leader Ocalan

Turkey's justice minister announced that the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party's request to meet jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is under review. The DEM Party aims to initiate dialogue between the government and PKK, which has been labeled a terrorist group. The meeting proposal comes amid Turkey’s ongoing insurgency challenges.

The potential meeting between the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is currently under review by Turkey's justice ministry. While Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed that the process is ongoing, details remain scant as to when such a meeting could occur.

Last month, President Tayyip Erdogan's nationalist ally had advocated for direct discussions between DEM and Ocalan. This week, reports emerged that DEM officially applied for the meeting on November 26, with an eye toward initiating a dialogue between the government and the PKK, a group deemed terrorist by Turkey and its Western allies.

Since its insurgency began over 40 years ago, the conflict initiated by the PKK against Turkey has claimed more than 40,000 lives. With these historical tensions in mind, any potential talks hold significant weight for future state-militant relations.

(With inputs from agencies.)