DEM, Turkey's third‑largest party, criticised the government for moving too slowly on a fragile peace process with the PKK. DEM said Ankara was not matching the momentum created by Abdullah Ocalan's February 2025 call for fighters to lay down arms. The PKK said in May 2025 it would disband, but Turkey demands verified disarmament before pursuing legal or political reforms. A parliamentary commission approved a roadmap for reforms in February, and DEM warns further delays could derail the process.
DEM Warns Turkey’s 'Hesitant' Pace Could Derail PKK Peace Process
Tulay Hatimogullari, co-chair of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), addresses their supporters during a rally in Istanbul, Turkey, February 2, 2025. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
ANKARA, April 28 (Reuters) - Turkey's pro‑Kurdish DEM Party sharply criticised the government's handling of a fragile peace process on Tuesday, saying Ankara is not moving quickly enough to capitalise on recent momentum toward ending a decades‑long conflict.
DEM, the third‑largest party in parliament, helped facilitate earlier steps toward reconciliation between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whose insurgency has claimed more than 40,000 lives since 1984.
Addressing her party's MPs, DEM co‑chair Tulay Hatimogullari accused the government of "failing to match the momentum" generated by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's February 2025 call for fighters to lay down their arms.
"While such a bright outlook lies ahead of us, and we should be moving at full speed toward the goal of peace, the government is acting in a hesitant, timid and stalling manner," Hatimogullari said.
The parties involved — DEM, the PKK and President Tayyip Erdogan's administration — have traded blame over perceived delays more than a year after hopes for a breakthrough were raised. In May 2025 the PKK said it would disband and end its armed struggle, but Ankara has insisted any disarmament must be independently verified before broader legal or political reforms proceed.
In February, a Turkish parliamentary commission voted overwhelmingly to approve a report that lays out a roadmap for legal reforms linked to the PKK's disbandment, moving the matter into the legislative arena. DEM warned that stalled implementation or prolonged verification disputes risk undermining public confidence and derailing the wider peace effort.
The insurgency has fuelled instability in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast and has spilled over into neighbouring Iraq and Syria. Analysts say timely, transparent verification and clear legislative steps will be crucial if the process is to deliver lasting peace.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)
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