“CHP’s stance on resolving the Kurdish issue is a critical one, as we have stated before. To resolve the Kurdish question, the CHP is also under an important responsibility; they have to act accordingly and undertake this responsibility,” DEM Party spokesperson Aysegul Dogan told Rudaw during a news conference in Ankara.
Hopes of a renewed drive for peace in the country were boosted earlier this month with ultranationalist MHP leader Devlet Bahceli shaking hands with members of the DEM Party in the legislature. Bahceli also proposed inviting jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and declare the dissolution of the group - considered by Ankara to be a terror organization.
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now calls for autonomy. The group is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and Western allies.
“Until now, the statements from the general director of the CHP party have not been with or against resolving the Kurdish question,” Dogan stressed.
She added the CHP and other parties “may suggest different approaches and methods” to resolve the Kurdish issue.
“They should suggest their own roadmap. The other parties should also offer their roadmaps,” Dogan added. “This does not mean they are distancing themselves from resolving the Kurdish question or that they do not want this matter to be discussed.”
Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish political party said on Friday that their headquarters in Ankara were attacked, calling on the interior ministry to investigate.
The Turkish government allowed Ocalan to meet his family last week, ending more than four years of isolation in Imrali Island prison, where he’s been held since 1999. After the meeting, Ocalan's nephew, DEM Party lawmaker Omer Ocalan, shared a message from his uncle.
“The isolation continues,” the post read. “If the conditions are right, I have the theoretical and practical power to pull this process from the ground of conflict and violence to the ground of law and politics.”
Speaking at his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) meeting at the parliament on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commended Ozgur Ozel, leader of the CHP for his “open contribution to brotherhood” after Ozer said he would support a potential peace process in the country.
“We believe that the recent approaches put forth under the leadership of our ally in the People's Alliance should be evaluated without prejudice in light of this broader context. This approach is a necessity stemming from the ancient state wisdom and the deep-rooted experience of our nation over thousands of years,” said the Turkish president without directly mentioning the PKK or its leader.
However, hours later, Ozel rebuked Erdogan, saying that the issue should not be reduced to Ocalan. Instead, he emphasized the importance of solving the issue through the parliament.
A short-lived peace process between Turkey and the PKK in 2013 granted Kurds some rights which were previously seen as taboo, such as elective Kurdish courses at schools. Kurds have been culturally, politically, and economically repressed in Turkey for decades.
