First meeting after 13 years: President Erdoğan met with the İmralı delegation of the DEM Party.

In the meeting held with the İmralı delegation, which lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes, AK Party Deputy Chairman Efkan Âlâ was present alongside MIT President İbrahim Kalın. A roadmap is expected to be determined following the call to lay down arms.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met on Thursday with the İmralı delegation consisting of Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Members of Parliament Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan. The meeting, held at the Presidential Complex, lasted approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes, and included AK Party Deputy Chairman Efkan Âlâ and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) President İbrahim Kalın. This Erdoğan-DEM Party meeting marks the first face-to-face contact in 13 years. The meeting, which started at 1:30 PM, was preceded by a brief statement from Buldan and Önder, who exited the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). Önder, who is the Deputy Chairman of the TBMM for the DEM Party, stated, "We will present the current state of the process to the President and inform him. After that, both we will share our own opinions and recommendations, and he will share his views and suggestions. We believe that both the democratic political sphere and peace-related activities will continue with much faster and more qualitative steps." Önder concluded his remarks by saying, "We have brought the process to this point with determination and resolve. We have acted very cautiously." Pervin Buldan, who then took the floor and said, "I would like to express that this is an important meeting," continued her remarks as follows: "We have held many meetings up until now, both with the opposition and with Mr. Öcalan in İmralı, as well as with various civil society organizations. Today we will have a meeting with the President." Emphasizing again that this is an important meeting, Buldan said, "Because perhaps for the first time, the President will exchange views with us on this matter. He will express his opinions on what needs to be done. We will also inform him about all the meetings we have held. May it be beneficial for Turkey and pave the way for peace."

What topics are on the agenda of the meeting? The İmralı delegation had reported the call for laying down arms made by Abdullah Öcalan on the same day after their last meeting with him on February 27. Following this, DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan expressed his concerns regarding the process, saying, "There is a lethargy regarding the expected steps. There is a state of waiting. The most fundamental issue of Turkey is being discussed. Where in the world has peace come by waiting? If anyone knows, let them say, let's sit at home and wait." In the meeting between the İmralı delegation and Erdoğan, a roadmap regarding the process following the call to lay down arms is expected to be determined. The DEM Party is calling for steps to be taken towards "democratic transformation and peace proposals." The DEM Party, which is seeking changes in the Anti-Terror Law and has requested the establishment of a special commission in the TBMM for this purpose, is also expecting the release of sick prisoners, particularly Selahattin Demirtaş. Regarding when the PKK will lay down arms, it is being discussed in the DEM Party's circles that this could happen within two months. Erdoğan: I will give an appointment. One of the prominent members of the delegation, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, had stated in a recent appearance on Habertürk that there could be a meeting with President Erdoğan soon following the call to lay down arms on February 27. Subsequently, President Erdoğan stated after the AK Party Group Meeting on March 12, in response to the question "Will you give an appointment to the İmralı delegation?": "I will give an appointment if requested from me." The "Turkey without terrorism" process is also referred to in the public and the media as the "İmralı process" and "second resolution process."

The resolution process in Turkey refers to the negotiations that began between the PKK and the Turkish state between 2013 and 2015. This process was initiated with the aim of solving the Kurdish issue through peaceful means. Key elements of the process included laying down arms, democratic reforms, and the expansion of rights related to Kurdish identity. PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan played a key role in these negotiations. However, with the resumption of conflicts in 2015, the resolution process effectively ended. This period caused significant changes in the political dynamics in Turkey. Founded on November 28, 1978, in the Lice district of Diyarbakır, the PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States (USA), the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and many other countries. PKK militants have killed nearly 15,000 people in attacks they have carried out for nearly 40 years, according to official figures. PKK leader Öcalan has been incarcerated in İmralı Prison in the Sea of Marmara since 1999, when he was sentenced to life imprisonment for founding and managing a terrorist organization.