ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Senior lawmakers from Turkey’s main political parties met with the parliament speaker on Friday to discuss forming a commission to advance the peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), though the nationalist IYI Party ruled out participating.
In the meeting, they “exchanged views on the working methods and processes of the commission, which will be established in the coming days to meet the goal of a ‘Terror-Free Turkey,’” read a statement from the parliament.
Present in the meeting were senior representatives from Turkey’s main political parties: Abdulhamit Gul of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Murat Emir of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Erkan Akcay of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Bugra Kavuncu of the nationalist IYI (Good) Party, and Bulent Kaya of the Yeni Yol Party.
The parliamentary commission is expected to oversee peace negotiations with the PKK, especially drafting legislation to guide the process.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus emphasized the parliament’s role in building a terror-free future for Turkey and underscored the importance of having a unified stance, according to the statement.
There has been broad political support for the establishment of a commission, though at the meeting IYI Party’s Bugra Kavuncu stated that his party “will not provide members or participate in the committee's work,” according to the parliament’s statement.
Earlier in the week, IYI Party leader Musavat Dervisoglu was very critical of making peace with the PKK and rejected participating in the proposed parliamentary commission, saying, “You want us to act as brokers in a so-called commission... The IYI Party will stand with its people, and its commission will be the great Turkish nation.”
On July 11, the PKK held a landmark disarmament ceremony in the Kurdistan Region where 30 members and commanders burned their weapons. The decision to lay down arms was made following a February call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for the group to pursue politics instead of armed conflict.
In a video message released two days before the ceremony, Ocalan reaffirmed his group’s historic departure from armed struggle and called for a “comprehensive legislative commission” to guide the peace process with the Turkish state.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said parliament will play a critical role in the process.