Pro-Kurdish Party Slams Türkiye’s “Hesitant” Approach to PKK Peace Talks

ANKARA — Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party has issued its sharpest criticism yet of the government’s handling of the fragile peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), warning that delays risk derailing the push to end a four‑decade conflict.

Speaking to party MPs on Tuesday, DEM co‑chair Tulay Hatimogullari said the government was “failing to match the momentum” created by jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan’s February 2025 call to lay down arms. “While such a bright outlook lies ahead… the government is acting in a hesitant, timid and stalling manner,” she said.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the US, and the EU, halted attacks and announced in May 2025 it would disband. But Ankara insists on verified disarmament before any broader legal or political steps.

A Turkish parliamentary commission approved a roadmap for legal reforms tied to the PKK’s dissolution in February, shifting the process to the legislature. Hatimogullari warned that further hesitation could unravel the peace effort. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people since 1984.

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