Peregraf
Imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan has issued a new message stressing the need for “democratic society, peace, and unity” as guiding principles in Türkiye’s ongoing peace process, according to a statement released Friday by a pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) delegation.
The delegation—composed of Deputy Parliament Speaker Pervin Buldan, MP Midhat Sancar, and lawyer Fayq Özgür Erol—said they met Öcalan on August 28 at Imrali Island Prison, where he has been held since 1999.
“Mr. Öcalan was in good health and courage,” the group noted, adding that the meeting lasted three hours. During the talks, Öcalan reportedly offered a broad assessment of the peace process, likening the Kurdish question to “a cancer that needs special surgery.”
“Our goal was to do everything we could to end a painful process,” Öcalan said, emphasizing that solutions must rest on the principles of democratic society, peace, and unity. He called for urgent steps to advance the process, adding that his vision is “a unity based on a democratic republic and democratic society.”
The DEM Party delegation warned that some political and media circles are downplaying the significance of Öcalan’s stance, which they said could undermine prospects for reconciliation.
Öcalan’s statement comes just weeks after a symbolic PKK disarmament ceremony held on July 11 in Jasana Cave, Sulaymaniyah province, where 30 guerrilla fighters burned their weapons in the group’s first public act of disarmament in nearly five decades. That event followed Öcalan’s surprise video appearance—his first in 26 years—in which he announced the end of the PKK’s armed campaign and urged the shift toward democratic political methods.
The peace process has drawn support from across Türkiye’s political spectrum. A newly formed commission includes representatives of the ruling AKP, the main opposition CHP, the nationalist MHP, and the DEM Party, along with other Kurdish and minority groups.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the disarmament as “a historic turning point,” declaring on July 12: “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 also praised the cooperation of both the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), framing the initiative as part of his “Century of Türkiye” vision. In a rare admission, he criticized past governments for policies of repression toward Kurds and called the peace efforts a path toward genuine national reconciliation.
With Öcalan now urging a “new phase” and the PKK signaling readiness for transition, observers say Türkiye may be closer than ever to resolving one of its most entrenched conflicts.