Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 5, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Erdogan announces a new phase in PKK peace efforts, hinting at possible engagement with jailed leader Ocalan and discussing Demirtas' release.
ANKARA (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey had entered a "new phase" in efforts to end Kurdish militant violence and signalled he was open to the idea of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan addressing lawmakers.
Erdogan said he held "very constructive" talks last week with senior pro-Kurdish DEM Party leaders - who have urged the idea of Ocalan addressing a parliamentary commission on PKK disarmament - and he urged all actors to contribute.
"It appears we have reached a new crossroads on the path toward a Turkey free of terrorism," Erdogan told his ruling AK Party lawmakers. "Everyone needs to step up and do their part."
"We consider it extremely valuable that ... all relevant parties are heard without leaving anyone out, and that different opinions — even if contrary — are expressed," he said.
The comments could hint at possible engagement with Ocalan, who has been jailed since 1999 but has played a key role urging his militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to disarm and dissolve, steps it announced earlier this year.
DEM has said the commission, on which it sits with other parties, should be allowed to engage Ocalan in prison given he remains central to Kurdish public opinion and was involved in previous peace efforts.
Erdogan's government has not confirmed any such step.
The PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. A previous peace initiative collapsed in 2015, unleashing renewed bloodshed in Turkey's southeast. The government has not publicly detailed the framework of the current effort.
Erdogan's comments came a day after his nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli said it "would be beneficial" to release Selahattin Demirtas, the former pro-Kurdish party leader jailed since 2016.
Bahceli, long hostile to Kurdish political demands, effectively launched the peace process with the PKK when he floated the idea a year ago.
"With a bit more courage and effort, and with God's permission, we will successfully conclude this process," Erdogan said.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)
A peace process refers to the series of negotiations and agreements aimed at resolving conflicts or disputes, often involving multiple stakeholders and focusing on achieving lasting peace.
Disarmament is the reduction or elimination of a country's military forces or weapons, often as part of peace negotiations or treaties to promote stability and security.
A parliamentary commission is a group formed within a parliament to investigate specific issues, gather evidence, and report findings, often related to legislation or public policy.
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