Turkish Parliamentary Delegation Meets Abdullah Öcalan on İmralı Island as Peace Process Accelerates
Peregraf – A Turkish parliamentary delegation visited imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on Monday, marking the most significant direct contact between the state and the PKK’s founding figure in more than a decade, as Ankara pushes forward with a renewed peace initiative aimed at ending nearly five decades of conflict.
In a statement, the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) confirmed that a delegation from the National Solidarity, Fraternity, and Democracy Commission traveled to the İmralı High-Security Penal Institution on November 24, 2025, following a qualified-majority decision taken during the Commission’s 18th meeting last week.
According to the TBMM statement, the delegation’s visit produced “positive outcomes in terms of social integration, strengthening fraternity, and positively advancing the process towards a regional perspective.”
Details of the Meeting
The TBMM said the Commission’s decision to hear directly from Öcalan was made on November 21, noting that the body has convened 18 times since its formation on August 5, 2025, conducting extensive consultations with “relevant sectors.” During the İmralı meeting, members obtained responses from Öcalan regarding:
• His February 27 “Call for Peace and Democratic Society”,
• His declarations urging the dissolution of the PKK and surrender of arms,
• The implementation of the March 10 consensus in Syria, which includes Kurdish-led structures and Ankara-backed groups.
The parliamentary delegation’s visit follows dramatic developments earlier this year. On July 11, 30 PKK fighters burned their weapons in Jasana Cave in Sulaymaniyah province, symbolically marking their exit from armed struggle. Two days earlier, Öcalan had appeared in a stunning video message from prison—his first public appearance in 26 years—officially declaring the end of the PKK’s armed campaign and urging the Kurdish movement to adopt “democratic political methods.”
Erdoğan: ‘A Historic Turning Point’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed the latest developments, describing them as “a historic turning point” in Türkiye’s decades-long conflict with the PKK.
“The problem of terror that has been lingering in our nation for 47 years has, God willing, entered the process of ending. The wall of terror is being obliterated,” Erdoğan said on July 12, praising the cooperation of both the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in facilitating recent steps.
He framed the initiative as part of his “Century of Türkiye” vision, which he says aims to secure long-term peace and stability across the region.
Broad Political Backing
The new peace initiative has drawn wide political support across Türkiye’s political spectrum. The National Peace Commission, established earlier this year, includes members from:
• The ruling AKP,
• The opposition CHP,
• The nationalist MHP,
• The pro-Kurdish DEM Party,
• Representatives of Kurdish and minority communities.
Observers say the İmralı visit signals a critical moment in Ankara’s evolving approach to the Kurdish question, with the potential to reshape relations between the Turkish state and Kurdish political movements after decades of armed conflict.
Tomorrow’s expected PKK statement, following the recent gestures and Öcalan’s messages, could mark one of the most consequential turning points in the history of the conflict.