CEFTUS recently hosted an important conference on the evolving peace process in Türkiye, reflecting the renewed engagement of political, academic, and civil society actors in late 2024 and early 2025. Discussions focused on the need for dialogue and conflict resolution, highlighting both opportunities and persistent challenges.

Key developments at the time included two meetings between the DEM Party’s İmralı Delegation and Abdullah Öcalan in December 2024 and January 2025. Öcalan emphasized themes of equal citizenship, democratization, and rebuilding Kurdish-Turkish fraternity, reigniting debates about the future of the peace process.

In October 2024, MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli called for lifting Öcalan’s isolation to allow him to address the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) and formally announce the dissolution of the PKK—an unexpected move that shifted conversations toward political negotiations.

Meanwhile, CHP Leader Özgür Özel stressed the importance of transparency, stating: "From the beginning, we have been advocating that the solution platform should be the Turkish Grand National Assembly. We are in favor of the process being carried out transparently."

This timely conference provided a vital platform for dialogue and reflection.

Chair:

• Matthew Elliott, Baron Elliott of Mickle Fell

Speakers:

• Mithat Sancar (DEM Party MP, Former Co-Chair) – Political negotiations and reconciliation

• Mehmet Emin Ekmen (DEVA MP) – Legal and political frameworks for conflict resolution

• Nurhayat Altun (Former Mayor of Dersim) – The role of local administrations in the peace process