The Imrali delegation of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) issued a statement regarding its meeting with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan on Imrali Island on March 27, 2026, confirming that the ongoing process has reached an “important stage.”
The statement clarified that the delegation held a meeting with Ocalan on the aforementioned date, noting that “it is tangibly evident during the meetings that the process has reached a significant milestone.” It emphasized that “the path to a solution is a multi-layered issue that must be evaluated through its dimensions related to negotiation, democratic will, and historical responsibility.”
The statement added that the talks addressed the “historical responsibility and function entrusted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Parliament) in this process,” announcing the “necessity of implementing the actions to be carried out following the committee’s report—without leaving them to the factor of time—within a coherent and comprehensive legal framework.”
The delegation indicated that this perspective emerged as a “shared vision,” asserting that “these historical opportunities must not be missed. To translate the will for a genuine solution into practice, channels of dialogue must remain open and democratic politics must be strengthened.”
The statement stressed that “a democratic society is the guarantee of the future for all peoples and faiths in Turkey,” adding that “anyone who correctly understands this process and approaches it with responsibility will gain not only the present but the shared future as well.”
Ocalan’s Evaluations: Regional Dynamics and the Three Lines
The statement relayed a summary of Abdullah Ocalan’s views and assessments during the meeting, in which he said: “A narrow approach must not be taken toward this major issue we are trying to solve. This is because there are deep hegemony projects over the Middle East. In Syria, alongside the tragic situation, somewhat positive developments are occurring. Now, the war in Iran is also on the agenda.”
According to the statement, Ocalan added: “In the Iran war, three lines have emerged: First, the United States and Israel line; second, the line of protecting the status quo held by certain international and regional powers led by England. As for the third line, it is the line of coexistence and democracy that we defend through the peace process and a democratic society.” He considered that “the events occurring in Iran have once again revealed the validity and importance of the process in Turkey.”
He continued: “We take the solution within the Anatolia-Mesopotamia framework as our basis,” pointing out that “the relationship between Anatolia and Mesopotamia has deep historical roots,” and that “four thousand years of political history in the Middle East have shown that the security of Anatolia passes through the Middle East and Mesopotamia.”
The Relationship with the Republic and the End of Armed Struggle
Ocalan affirmed: “We do not have a problem with the Republic. The fundamental issue is that the Republic is not democratic. Democracy is the only solution that can strengthen the Republic.”
He added: “As I stated in my call issued on February 27, the era of armed struggle is over. A return to the past is no longer possible. The current process is the stage of transition to peace with the Democratic Republic,” noting that “this process, which we hope will succeed, will make the Republic twice as strong.”
He highlighted the need to “develop a collective and civil understanding that formulates the relationship between the Kurds and the state positively,” calling on the state to “see that there are no destructive activities or any security threats.”
Furthermore, he stressed that “participation in the Republic must be based on identity, freedom of thought, freedom of organization, and women’s freedom,” explaining that “these arenas of freedom are not limited to Kurds alone, but include everyone.”
He noted the importance of “reaching the entire public through appropriate means so that his views regarding the process are correctly understood,” asserting that the “democratic integration solution takes the community-based approach as its foundation.”
The statement concluded by emphasizing that “a community-based solution mandates a collective and cohesive democracy for social structures,” according to the statement issued by the DEM Party’s Imrali delegation on March 31, 2026.
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