Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş visits Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party to discuss

ANKARA — Following his meeting with Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, DEM Party) Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş (Justice and Development Party, AKP) revealed that a parliamentary committee will be formed and begin active work in the coming days in response to the peace call made by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Both sides issued a joint statement after the closed-door meeting, which took place in the parliament.

“The path we are taking today places historical responsibilities on parliament regarding the building of peace and democracy,” said Hatimoğulları. “We discussed these issues clearly and we thank the Speaker of Parliament for his visit.”

Kurtulmuş noted that the meeting focused on the responsibilities of parliament in promoting national unity, mutual understanding, and advancing democratic standards in Turkey. “Following the statement from Imrali and the declaration of a ceasefire, the issue has reached a level where it can be discussed within parliament, which is the center of national will and the foundation of Turkish democracy,” he said.

“We believe that all political parties must approach this historic opportunity with a spirit of responsibility to achieve quick results and launch a new political agenda in Turkey,” Kurtulmuş added. “I hope the parliamentary committee, which will be formed in the coming days, will begin its work effectively. We will study the committee’s structure and operational mechanisms and make the necessary preparations accordingly.”

In other news, on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Kurdish MP Pervin Buldan (DEM Party) on her appointment as Deputy Speaker of Parliament, succeeding the late MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder (DEM Party).