Turkish Parliament’s reconciliation commission meets for fourth time amid heated debate

ANKARA — Turkey’s newly established Commission on National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy convened for the fourth time, as lawmakers and civil society representatives grapple with the contours of a fragile reconciliation process aimed at addressing the Kurdish question and fostering broader democratic reforms.

Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş (Justice and Development Party, AKP), who chairs the body, underscored both the promise and the risks of the initiative. “We are in the midst of a difficult process,” he said at the opening session. “Just as there are those who want peace and brotherhood in Turkey until the end of time, it is also clear there will be those, both inside and outside the country, who seek to poison this process. We must move forward without hesitation.”

Kurtulmuş also responded to a striking incident that occurred outside Parliament earlier this week, when a man set fire to a white “Toros” brand car — a vehicle long associated with the shadowy era of forced disappearances in the 1990s. “We are told the individual acted out of anger over tax rules on scrap cars,” Kurtulmuş said. “But we cannot ignore what this symbol evokes. The White Toros, which once symbolized unsolved murders, must remain in the pages of history. We must be vigilant against such painful reminders.”

In its morning session, the Commission heard from leaders of organizations representing veterans, the wounded, and relatives of fallen soldiers, including the Turkey Disabled Veterans Association, the Martyrs’ Widows and Orphans Association, and several foundations tied to security personnel. Many urged the state to preserve national unity while ensuring their sacrifices were not forgotten.

Mustafa Işık, president of the Veterans and Martyrs Association, identified himself as the father of a slain soldier and pressed for a politics above faction. “For a thousand years, we have lived side by side without distinction of ethnicity or sect,” he said. “No terrorist group or foreign power can break this brotherhood.”

Pointing to the imprisonment of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, he added:

“If he recognizes this brotherhood, he should call on his organization to lay down arms. The families of martyrs are ready for every sacrifice, but political calculations must not come before the national interest.” 

In the afternoon session, the Commission listened to families who, encouraged by former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, have staged sit-ins outside the pro-Kurdish HDP offices in Diyarbakır, demanding the return of children they say were recruited by the PKK.

But the discussion was far from uniform. Turan Taşkın, a lawmaker from the opposition Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP), warned that the Commission could not sidestep questions of justice. “How can we ignore political operations within the judiciary?” he asked, citing the arrest of a longtime driver of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on corruption charges he described as “copy-paste.”

Taşkın continued:

“We will say ‘peace’ and reject discrimination, but how do we explain blatant injustice? This commission must embrace the mission of the rule of law, justice, and comprehensive democratization.” 

The Commission, established earlier this year, is seen as one of Parliament’s most ambitious attempts in recent years to provide a forum for dialogue around Turkey’s long-running ethnic conflict and the democratic deficits it has exposed. Yet skepticism lingers: some see the effort as a genuine attempt at reconciliation, while others suspect political maneuvering.

Tomorrow, the Commission is scheduled to hear testimony from groups including the Saturday Mothers, who have long campaigned for justice for relatives who disappeared in custody, and the Peace Mothers, alongside rights organizations such as Mazlum-Der, the Human Rights Association, and the Tahir Elçi Human Rights Foundation.

As Kurtulmuş noted, the stakes remain high:

“Our task is to build social consensus and deepen national solidarity. The success of this process depends on the support of every segment of our society.”