EU Parliament Welcomes Öcalan-Bahçeli Peace Talks as ‘Historic Opportunity’ for Türkiye
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In its latest annual report on Türkiye, the European Parliament described recent dialogue between Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan as a “historic opportunity” to resolve the country’s long-standing Kurdish issue. The report, cited by daily Hürriyet on May 6, praised Bahçeli’s “constructive approach” and commended Öcalan’s call for PKK to disarm and dissolve.
The European Parliament emphasized that this initiative could end 40 years of violence, calling for a broad, inclusive, and parliamentary-led peace process to move the efforts forward.
From İmralı Island to Presidential Meetings: New Steps in Dialogue
The renewed contact with Öcalan emerged after Bahçeli publicly urged him to denounce terrorism during a speech in parliament. This appeal was later echoed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who described it as a “historic window of opportunity.”
Following this, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) held a series of four meetings with Öcalan on İmralı Island, the high-security prison near Istanbul. During their third meeting on February 27, DEM Party officials relayed a statement from Öcalan in which he called for the PKK’s dissolution.
A landmark political meeting occurred on April 10, when DEM Party lawmakers Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan met with Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara — marking the first direct engagement between the pro-Kurdish party and the Turkish president in over a decade.
Dialogue Falters Following Önder’s Sudden Death
However, the momentum faced an unexpected halt after Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a key figure in the discussions, died from multiple organ failure following a cardiac arrest. He had spent 18 days in intensive care, according to hospital sources.
EU Also Criticizes Democratic Backslide and Stalled Accession Talks
Beyond the peace efforts, the European Parliament’s report also raised concerns about the arrest and dismissal of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other municipal officials, signaling growing concerns over rule of law and democracy in Türkiye.
On the issue of visa liberalization, the report noted that Türkiye has not yet fulfilled key criteria, but expressed conditional support for progress should these benchmarks be met. It also called on EU member states to strengthen visa infrastructure, especially for business travelers and academic exchanges.
While negotiations for Türkiye’s EU membership remain frozen, the European Parliament urged continued efforts to build a “closer, dynamic, and strategic partnership” between Türkiye and the European Union.
