A DEM Parti delegation, including both former and current members of parliament and a group of journalists, had journeyed in four buses from Diyarbakır to the city of Süleymaniye in the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government. The trip was reportedly for a disarmament ceremony to be held by the PKK terror organization.
This development came as AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik announced in a statement the previous day, “We will continue to do what is right for our state and nation. Our President will make a historic announcement on Saturday morning.” In this context of heightened anticipation, DEM Parti Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, who was part of the delegation in Süleymaniye, shared his perspective in an interview with ANKA.
Bakırhan conveyed a profound sense of excitement, describing the moment as a potential turning point. “We are about to witness one of the most crucial first steps in eliminating a 50-year foundation of violence and conflict,” he stated. He framed this as a preliminary move towards a Turkey where law, democracy, and freedoms prevail, a process that would create a democratic platform for all. “This is a historic process that we will all witness, and it will place great responsibilities on everyone. Turkey can no longer be the same,” he added, envisioning the initial steps toward a nation where all diverse groups see themselves as equal citizens. He stressed the value and importance of this period, noting that it requires commitment from everyone, especially from advocates for peace.
He elaborated on the role of his party, saying, “Peace is something to be achieved by socializing it, by working and striving for it. As the DEM Parti, a party that has supported this process from the beginning and traveled village by village, district by district across Turkey to socialize peace, we will continue our journey for peace, just like our trip here today, until it is achieved.” Bakırhan highlighted the diverse composition of the delegation, which included women, youth, political party members, peace organizations, and human rights advocates who have long dealt with the consequences of the conflict. He described this broad coalition as essential for witnessing the first step towards ending violence, expressing hope that everyone would work harder to fulfill their responsibilities for the process’s success.
When questioned about the postponed meeting between the Justice Minister and the İmralı Delegation, and his expectations for the President’s Saturday announcement, particularly concerning prisons, Bakırhan was cautiously optimistic. He suggested that a step significant enough to dismantle a 50-year history of conflict must be met with a corresponding discourse and a practical roadmap from all stakeholders, not just the executive branch. “I am hopeful that something important will be said. That would be the right thing to do,” he remarked. In his view, the executive should deliver the most significant message in a process that moves Turkey away from violence. “A more inclusive discourse that points to a foundation of democracy and justice could open the door to a new era. It could pave the way for writing a new democratic story for Turkey,” Bakırhan explained, though he conceded it is difficult to predict what the President will say.
Bakırhan identified the situation of political prisoners and the prisons as one of Turkey’s most painful, ongoing issues. He believes that if the current peace process advances successfully, addressing prison problems will naturally become a priority for the government, the opposition, and society. He urged everyone, including the relatives of prisoners and the millions who have faced prosecution, to embrace the process. He argued that since the process promises broader democratic freedoms and a just legal approach, it concerns the future of all 86 million citizens and should be kept above political squabbles. “This is not a matter for us to take up defensive stances against each other; on the contrary, it is a process we must all embrace,” he asserted.
Regarding recent arrests of mayors, often from parties aligned with DEM Parti during elections, Bakırhan stated that such negative practices are incompatible with the new democratic expansion he anticipates. “From this point on, Turkey cannot be the old Turkey. The die is cast,” he declared, adding that society is embracing this change and is weary of lawlessness. He emphasized that the Kurdish population, a major supporter of this process, expects the will they express at the ballot box to be respected. He posited that the trajectory must now be toward a more democratic, inclusive system where election results are honored and the judiciary operates with more care and democratic principle. “As we discuss a 100-year-old issue that consumes Turkey’s energy and economy, every one of us needs to change our approach, our words, and our practices.”
Despite a lack of clear signals for such a shift thus far, Bakırhan remains hopeful that the President’s Saturday speech could be the turning point. “On my part, I truly hope the President uses a rhetoric that shakes us all,” he said. He argued that the AK Parti government needs to write a new story for the nation, one centered on democracy, law, and justice, to address the country’s economic and democratic deficits. He confirmed that this need for renewal also applies to the DEM Parti. “If you notice, since these discussions began, our language and our inclusiveness have been practiced in a way that will not harm this process. We will renew ourselves to avoid repeating past mistakes,” he affirmed. He concluded that embracing this change is inevitable for everyone, including those who once used the armed conflict as a pretext to suppress Kurds and the opposition. “If we handle this properly, Turkey wins, 86 million people win. We can live humanely on a ground free of strife and violence,” he said, framing the journey to Süleymaniye itself as a symbol of this new, unified future. “This photograph of the components in these buses is the photograph of the future Turkey.”