Anti-Terror Panel’s Öcalan Visit Historic, Bahçeli Says

Three lawmakers from the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission paid a snap visit to İmralı Island on Nov. 24, following the commission’s approval last week. Feti Yıldız from the MHP, Hüseyin Yayman from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) visited Öcalan in prison.

A statement from the Turkish Parliament stressed that the meeting yielded positive results for the continuation of the terror-free Turkey bid.

Bahçeli, in his address to his parliamentary group on Nov. 25, congratulated the team’s visit to İmralı and described Öcalan as one of the most important interlocutors of the ongoing disbandment process of PKK.

The visit was a historic move, Bahçeli said, criticized the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and other political parties who did not deploy lawmakers for the mission. The CHP said it will still be a part of the commission but sees no use of a meeting with Öcalan. 

The MHP will continue to support the terror-free Turkey project, the chairman said, “Turks and Kurds are brothers. Those who try to break this are doomed to fail.”

The commission approved the visit to İmralı but the CHP, the Democrat Party and the New Path coalition voted against it and did not take part in the visit. The Democrat Party, which has one seat at the commission, has announced its decision to quit the panel.

Following the visit, the commission is expected to meet again in the coming days where the three lawmakers are expected to give a breifing about their meeting with Öcalan.