Turkey's DEM Party Visits Abdullah Ocalan for Peaceful Resolution

A delegation from Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party met with imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for a statement advocating disarmament. As Ankara seeks a peace push, his expected call for political struggle could transform Turkey's decades-long conflict, although the government's stance on a video message remains resistant.

A delegation from Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party visited Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in his island prison on Thursday. Ocalan is expected to release a statement calling for the PKK to disarm and pursue democratic means to achieve political goals.

The visit forms part of Ankara's hopes to end a conflict dating back to 1984, which has claimed over 40,000 lives. However, skepticism remains, with Turkey's Justice and Interior Ministries unable to confirm the authenticity of Ocalan's anticipated statement, as reported by CNN Turk.

Though the DEM Party aims for a video message to amplify Ocalan's call, government officials, citing the PKK's designation as a terrorist organization, have rejected this request. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc reiterated this stance, aligning with previous messages from the government.