A delegation from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party traveled to Imrali Island on Thursday to meet with jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is expected to issue a statement that Ankara hopes could lead to the group’s disarmament.
The seven-member delegation’s visit marks the third meeting with Ocalan since December. The move is widely seen as part of a government initiative aimed at securing an appeal from Ocalan for the PKK to lay down arms, potentially ending the four-decade-long insurgency that has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
If successful, such a step could have far-reaching political and economic implications for Turkey, which has long grappled with the PKK’s armed campaign. Focus would then shift to the reaction of PKK commanders based in the mountains of northern Iraq.
The DEM Party is expected to hold a press conference in Istanbul at 1400 GMT to discuss the outcome of the talks and present Ocalan’s statement.
Ocalan has been held in near-total isolation on Imrali Island since his capture in 1999, with only limited access to the outside world. While DEM has pushed for his statement to be delivered via video for greater impact, the Turkish government has firmly opposed the idea. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc reiterated on Wednesday that a video message would not be permitted, in line with Ankara’s long-standing stance on the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.