After the historic call made by Abdullah Öcalan, members of the Imralı Delegation from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, met with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at the Presidential Complex.

Dilan Kunt Ayan, MP for Urfa (Riha) from the DEM Party, gave an interview to the ANF and shared her views on the meeting. She said: “This is certainly an important step for the successful advancement of the process. Unfortunately, until now, there has been no clear position shared with the public. It is a significant development that the President met directly with our delegation. In fact, we can describe this as a delayed step.

We hope that the President’s direct involvement will help the process move forward more rapidly. Although optimism has grown, concerns still remain. Following the meeting, expectations have increased for quick, concrete steps. We hope that this optimism will, in the short term, turn into public support and trust through practical action.”

Öcalan must be provided with proper conditions for political engagement

Dilan Kunt Ayan emphasized the need for intense efforts to ease the public's concerns and stated the following:

“First of all, we must recognize that these doubts are entirely understandable. The Kurdish people have suffered greatly and paid a heavy price in the face of the state’s century-long policy of denial. The fact that previous ceasefire processes were broken by the state, and that negotiation periods were followed by intensifying war and aggression, especially after the collapse of the 2013–2015 resolution process, has led the people to adopt a cautious approach. These concerns have been frequently conveyed to us wherever we go.

But now it is time to transform these concerns into success through struggle. At this point, the people must believe in their own strength, especially in the strength of Mr. Öcalan, and must move this process forward with their own willpower. Peace has never arrived through waiting. It has always required great struggle. The same holds true for those who stand with the people and the opposition.

Naturally, this is a process that must be carried out mutually. Therefore, as we have stated from the beginning, our most fundamental demand is that Mr. Öcalan be provided with the necessary conditions for free and active participation. The public also views this step as a test of sincerity. Millions are demanding this. For this process to continue in a healthy and meaningful way, this step must be taken without delay.

One of the first steps expected is the creation of the conditions necessary for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) congress to convene and hold its internal discussions. Meanwhile, the ongoing war has led to the normalization of many injustices, including arbitrary detentions, arrests, and denial of release for ill prisoners, which feels like acts of revenge.

Legal reforms must be immediately submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) to secure the release of political prisoners, beginning with the urgent release of seriously ill detainees. Society needs to see that a genuine paradigm shift is underway. Reinstating dismissed public workers, removing obstacles to freedom of association, ending the system of government-appointed trustees, and enacting inclusive, libertarian, and egalitarian legal reforms must be prioritized without delay.

Above all, a legal framework must be established that allows Kurds, and all other identities and faiths in this country who have long been oppressed and treated as 'others', to feel safe, to live freely, and to express their beliefs and identities with confidence.”

We must acknowledge and embrace our historical responsibility

Dilan Kunt Ayan emphasized that achieving lasting peace requires all segments of society to take responsibility. She said: “We must all work much harder. Before and after what has been called the ‘Call of the Century’, we held comprehensive public meetings in which we discussed, together with the people, the content and scope of the call, the concerns surrounding it, and the steps we need to take in the future. Of course, we should not consider this effort sufficient. Today, many commissions within our party continue to convey the importance of this call to different groups. Our Women’s Assembly is meeting with women in various provinces, our Faith Commission is meeting with religious communities, and there are ongoing meetings with academics, artists, and intellectuals.

At the heart of all these discussions is the message that everyone must take ownership of this process and help build it using their own strength. We must be those who organize, not those who wait. No one should say, ‘What can I do?’ Everyone should explain the importance of this call, at home, on the street, in the workplace. We must try to convince those who are still hesitant. There is something each of us can contribute to the free and equal future of the peoples of Turkey.

In the coming period, we will continue to explain the importance of this process to everyone, to all groups of different identities and political views. We are at one of the most historic turning points of the 21st century. We must expand our field of organization in a way that leaves no home unvisited and no person unreached. We must build mechanisms that will create social organization and collective action.

The idea that ‘politicians are handling the process anyway, there is nothing we need to do’ is completely wrong. Our goal is to build a democratic Turkey. The role and mission lie with society, the opposition, and every individual living in this country. We must approach this process with that sense of historical responsibility and consciousness. We must organize everywhere we go.”