Turkey Grants Kurdish Party Permission to Meet Abdullah Ocalan in Prison

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) states that the Turkish government has decided to allow this Kurdish-supporting party in parliament to have face-to-face discussions with Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in prison. This party announced on Friday, December 28, that this will be the first such meeting in nearly a decade. The HDP made this request a month ago, immediately after the government of Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, a key ally of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, proposed a plan to end the 40-year conflict between Ankara and the PKK, which has been declared illegal by the Turkish government. At that time, Erdogan called Bahceli's proposal 'a historic golden opportunity' and stated that he agreed with Bahceli on all matters but emphasized that the current conditions do not allow for hope. He stressed the need to think about long-term solutions and consider the future. Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the PKK, has been serving his life sentence in Imrali prison, south of Istanbul, for 25 years. The HDP has participated in peace negotiations between Ankara and Ocalan for the past decade, with their last meeting occurring in April 2015. However, the peace process and ceasefire have since collapsed, leading to the deadliest phase of this conflict. Now, HDP representatives, Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, will soon visit Imrali Island to meet with Abdullah Ocalan. Both individuals had met with Ocalan during the peace negotiations at that time. Turkey and its Western allies recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization. Ankara has repeatedly emphasized that the activities of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syrian territory must be 'immediately stopped' following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the ousted president of Syria. Turkey considers the Kurdish militia YPG, which is allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the PKK. The YPG forces are allied with the SDF, which is supported by the United States and played a major role in suppressing ISIS in Syria. Last week, for the first time, Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, confirmed the presence of PKK forces in Syria in an interview with Reuters, stating that they have helped in the fight against ISIS and promised that if a complete ceasefire with Turkey is established, these forces will return home. The Turkish Foreign Minister recently stated that if the new Syrian government fails to address Ankara's concerns regarding active Kurdish groups in Syria, Turkey will take 'whatever actions necessary' to ensure its security.