 had meetings with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) while condemning a deadly Turkish drone strike in northern Syria.){kind=link}
Peace negotiations in Turkey are moving forward amid fears of sabotage as the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) had meetings with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) while condemning a deadly Turkish drone strike in northern Syria.
A DEM Party delegation, led by Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, met with representatives from both the MHP and the AKP on Monday as part of their outreach following jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 call for the group to lay down its arms.
However, the meetings took place just hours after a Turkish airstrike in Kobani killed nine civilians, including seven children, raising concerns among Kurdish leaders that attacks on Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria as well as Iraq could derail the peace process.
Speaking after his visit to former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and former Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality mayor Selçuk Mızraklı in prison, opposition lawmaker Sezgin Tanrıkulu warned of the risks of delays.
“If this process does not move forward quickly, it may become open to abuse and provocation,” Tanrıkulu cited Demirtaş and Mızraklı as saying.
The DEM Party delegation met first with the MHP at the Turkish Parliament, where MHP Deputy Chairman Semih Yalçın described the meeting as “very productive.”
The MHP’s leadership, including Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, had previously signaled openness to Öcalan’s peace appeal.
The peace talks were initiated by a surprise call from Bahçeli, an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, when he offered Öcalan a surprise peace gesture in October if he would reject violence in a move endorsed by Erdoğan. This was a notable shift given the party’s historically hardline stance against Kurdish political movements
Following the MHP meeting, the DEM Party had a closed-door discussion with AKP officials, including Deputy Chair Efkan Ala, Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik and parliamentary group deputy chair Abdullah Güler. No joint statement was issued after the talks.
Meanwhile, DEM Party officials have requested a meeting with President Erdoğan, who last week said he would be willing to personally meet with the party’s delegation if they formally requested it.
Warnings of sabotage
A Turkish drone strike late Sunday killed nine civilians from the same family, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which condemned the attack as a “war crime” and part of Turkey’s broader strategy of ethnic cleansing.
The DEM Party issued a scathing statement on Monday, calling the airstrike a deliberate attempt to derail the peace process. “This is not a coincidence; it is a deliberate action meant to escalate tensions and sabotage peace efforts, just as Mr. Öcalan warned would happen,” the party said.
The attack came just days before Kurdish communities across the region prepare to celebrate Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, which has been framed this year as the “Newroz of Freedom” following Öcalan’s appeal for peace. The airstrike has cast a shadow over the celebrations, raising concerns that military operations could undermine ongoing peace efforts.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, announced a ceasefire shortly after Öcalan’s February 27 statement. However, PKK co-leader Cemil Bayık said last week that holding a congress to formalize the group’s dissolution was “impossible” under current conditions due to ongoing Turkish military operations.
Turkey’s defense minister, Yaşar Güler, has dismissed any conditions for a ceasefire, insisting that the PKK and its affiliates must surrender arms “unconditionally and without delay.” Erdoğan, meanwhile, has warned that Turkey will continue its military operations if there is any sign of delay or deception in the peace process.
As the situation unfolds, Kurdish leaders are pushing for political engagement, while the Turkish government maintains a firm stance on security. The DEM Party has called on opposition parties and parliament to play a more active role in facilitating peace, while also demanding accountability for the Kobani airstrike.