Breaking: Turkish Parliament’s Peace Commission Approves Imrali Visit

Picture Credits: The Offical website of the Turkish Parliament

Turkey’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission – set up to drive the peace process between the country’s Kurdish population and the Turkish state – has approved sending a parliamentary delegation to Imrali Island Prison to meet jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. This marks the most consequential step yet in the country’s ongoing peace talks, aimed at solving the state’s century-long Kurdish question. The vote came after a tense session in which the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) refused to join the Imrali visit.

Shortly after the meeting began, Commission Chair and Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş ruled that discussions on the Imrali visit would be held in a closed session, prompting the CHP delegation to leave.

Upon leaving the meeting, CHP Group Deputy Chair Murat Emir said that while the party previously accepted closed sessions when national security issues were discussed, today’s debate required full transparency. Emir announced that CHP would not send any members to Imrali, though it would continue to remain in the commission.

He added that narrowing the entire peace process to the single question of “going to Imrali or not” was a mistake, stressing that issues such as democratic rights, suppression of Kurdish political representation, ongoing political imprisonments, the trustee issue, and the quest for equal citizenship should not be sidelined.

However, one closed session that Emir said the party had supported – the briefing by intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın last week – included a detailed argument for the necessity of an Imrali visit, which CHP members at the time described as “clear” and “convincing.”

The contrast between last week’s receptive attitude and today’s refusal to remain in the closed session may be seen as part of the “mutual blame-insurance” dance between CHP and President Erdoğan, with both sides seeking to avoid full ownership of a sensitive and potentially risky political process.

In the run-up to today’s critical meeting, CHP leader Özgür Özel had said his party would “wait for AKP’s stance” before forming its own position, while President Erdoğan in turn shifted responsibility to parliament by saying the commission would “take the most appropriate decision.”

Despite CHP’s withdrawal, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) maintained its previously stated positive position on the visit.

The far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP), whose leader Devlet Bahçeli recently vowed they would “go to Imrali with our own means, if necessary,” reaffirmed full support, with senior figure and MHP’s deputy chairman Feti Yıldız, confirming that he will join the delegation.

With AKP, MHP, and DEM voting in favor, the commission comfortably surpassed both the simple majority (26 votes) and the qualified majority (31 votes) thresholds

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party also backed the move, nominating its Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit to participate.

With AKP, MHP, and DEM voting in favor, the commission comfortably surpassed both the simple majority (26 votes) and the qualified majority (31 votes) thresholds, and the Commission declared that the motion to send a parliamentary delegation to Imrali had passed. The final delegation will consist of MPs nominated by the parties that voted in favor; therefore, the CHP will not be represented.

The approved structure envisions a five-member mission, though several smaller parties proposed technological alternatives such as conducting the meeting with Öcalan via a video link. CHP’s Murat Emir today also implicitly pointed to this option in his remarks after the delegation walked out in protest of the closed-session decision.

With today’s vote, the ruling coalition and DEM have effectively aligned on a major step in the peace process, while CHP’s stance leaves it outside both the delegation and the defining decision of the day.

The Commission will begin logistical planning for the visit. The exact date has not yet been announced, but delegation members confirmed that preparations will begin immediately.