MHP leader doubles down on Ocalan addressing Turkish parliament

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Devlet Bahceli, the leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), on Tuesday doubled down on his proposal for the jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and announce the dissolution of the group.

“If the terrorist leader is going to say that terrorism has ended and that the PKK has been dissolved, he should come to the DEM group and say these things one by one. I stand by my words and am firm in my offer,” Bahceli said in a speech in front of his party’s parliamentary group in Ankara.

Last month, in a drastic shift in his stance on the Kurdish issue, Bahceli proposed allowing Ocalan to appear in the legislature and call for the dissolution of the armed group.

Bahceli’s proposal was met with mixed reactions, with strong rejections from the country’s ultranationalist politicians.

The MHP leader said that combating what he labeled as terrorism was “essential” to reaching a political consensus in the country.

“Embracing the Kurds is fundamental; combating terrorism is essential. Clearing out armed bandits is unavoidable, and reaching a consensus in politics is in our common interest,” he said.

While reiterating his call for Ocalan’s appearance in the Parliament, Bahceli, whose party is the government ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), called on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to distance itself from the PKK.

“DEM Party must immediately clarify its decision. It must stay away from its back-and-forth stance between weapons and politics; it must also make public where it stands and whether it builds thick walls between itself and terror,” he said.

The renewed Bahceli’s comments come just a day after the Turkish interior ministry removed three DEM Party mayors from their positions for “terror” related charges and replaced them with trustees.

The decision sparked fury among the supporters of the pro-Kurdish party and the country’s opposition. Bahceli said the mayors should perform their duties within the boundaries of the Turkish state.

“Either the mayors will perform their duties properly, or they will have to accept the legitimate and justified measures taken by the Turkish state within the bounds of the law,” he said.

The DEM Party is routinely accused of being the political wing of the PKK. 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. Earlier this year, the Iraqi government also declared it as a banned organization.

For years, the MHP leader has been a stubborn opponent of pro-Kurdish parties in the country, including the DEM Party, for their alleged PKK affiliation.

Bahceli’s proposal in October reignited the possibility of the renewal of a peace process in Turkey. But a day after the comments, the Ankara compound of the Turkish aerospace industries firm (TUSAS), which manufactures drones and other aerial vehicles, was attacked. The PKK later claimed responsibility for the attack.

In 2013, the AKP government entered into peace talks with the PKK, paving the way for an unprecedented opening towards Kurds in the country. Kurdish politicians were able to speak freely about their rights, a topic that was previously taboo. The peace talks, which were mediated by the DEM Party’s predecessor the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), collapsed in 2015 and were followed by intense urban fighting in the country’s southwestern Kurdish areas.