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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) delegation, including Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, on July 9 at the Presidential Complex in Bestepe, sources confirmed Thursday.
The meeting comes amid a renewed peace process triggered by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli’s statements and reinforced by the PKK terrorist organization’s ringleader Abdullah Ocalan’s calls for disarmament and self-dissolution.
Erdogan earlier acknowledged the DEM Party's request for new talks, stating, “We will hold another meeting soon. They have a strong presence in parliament.”
Erdogan last met the DEM Party delegation on April 10, 2025. This upcoming meeting is seen as a key step in continuing dialogue amid ongoing efforts to stabilize the region.
The process began symbolically on Oct. 1, 2024, when Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli shook hands with DEM Party deputies in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
On Feb. 27, 2025, Abdullah Ocalan, the ringleader of the PKK terrorist organization, released a “Call for Peace and Democratic Society,” urging disarmament.
Between May 3 and 5, 2025, the PKK announced at its 12th Congress that it had disbanded and decided to lay down arms, a historic move for the group.
Following this, on May 12, a 20-member PKK faction in Iraq surrendered to security forces, with further groups expected to surrender in the coming weeks.
Official disarmament ceremonies are planned for this weekend in the Suleymaniyah and Duhok regions, where surrendered weapons will be registered in a transparent process. Former PKK terrorist officials, including Mustafa Karasu, are expected to make statements at these events.
Meanwhile, DEM Party representatives met with Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus in mid-June to discuss the establishment of a parliamentary peace commission. DEM Party spokesperson Aysegul Dogan announced in late June that a meeting with President Erdogan was imminent.
The meeting with Erdogan is scheduled for July 9, with further talks planned with MHP leader Devlet Bahceli and Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel shortly thereafter. Erdogan previously met with the DEM Party delegation on April 10, 2025.
The PKK terrorist group, which has offshoots in Iraq and Syria, has been waging a terror campaign against Türkiye for more than 40 years.
Listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, the group has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children.
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