Erdoğan backs Bahçeli’s dialogue initiative with Kurds as ‘historic opportunity’

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has voiced his support for an initiative by his nationalist ally Devlet Bahçeli, which is widely seen as a potential new peace process with the Kurds.

Speaking at his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s provincial leaders meeting, Erdoğan said, “We hope that the historic opportunity window opened by the People’s Alliance will not be sacrificed to personal interests,” using the name for the political alliance between his AKP and Bahçeli’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

“We cannot tolerate those who see violence as a means of seeking rights or those who attempt to engage in politics with weapons and terrorism in tow. We expect everyone to understand that there is no place for terrorism or its dark shadow in Turkey’s future.

“In this regard, we hope that the historic window of opportunity opened by the People’s Alliance is not derailed by personal agendas. We want to build a Turkey free of terrorism and violence, with the support of political institutions, parliament, civil society, the media, academia, and the entire nation.”

Bahçeli’s proposal for Öcalan’s role

Earlier today, Bahçeli suggested that Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), be allowed to make a statement in parliament declaring the disbandment of the PKK, which has waged a four-decade-long armed insurgency. In exchange, Öcalan could be granted the “right to hope,” a legal concept that could potentially lead to his release.

The proposal follows Bahçeli’s recent outreach to the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party. On Oct 1, during the opening of parliament, Bahçeli made headlines by shaking hands with DEM co-leader Tuncer Bakırhan, an unexpected gesture given his prior calls to shut down the party. This move has sparked nationwide speculation about whether Turkey is on the verge of a new peace process.

AKP’s past attempts at peace

Erdoğan’s AKP had previously initiated a peace process in the early 2010s, aiming to end the long-standing conflict with the PKK. However, that effort collapsed in 2015, and the AKP subsequently formed a political alliance with Bahçeli’s MHP, adopting a more nationalist stance. This led to a renewed military and political crackdown on the Kurdish movement.

The DEM Party has cautiously welcomed Bahçeli’s initiative. The party has called for improvements in the conditions of key figures such as Öcalan and Selahattin Demirtaş, along with improvement of the conditions thousands of Kurdish political prisoners as an initial move to show the sincerity of the ruling bloc

(VK)