ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party is urging the country’s parliament to take a new approach to the Kurdish conflict by engaging the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, as a “chief negotiator” in the peace process.

Ahead of the new legislative term, Sezai Temelli, the parliamentary group leader for the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), on Tuesday emphasized the legislature's crucial role in the country’s future.

“A new legislative term is ahead of us, but this legislative term must be different,” Temelli said, adding, “We must begin a period unlike past legislative terms.”

Temelli urged parliament to take “the strongest step” toward resolving Turkey’s long-running conflict by immediately utilizing Ocalan's influence.

“We must act knowing how critical Mr. Ocalan’s role as chief negotiator is and how important it is to secure this interlocutorship as soon as possible to accelerate the process,” Temelli said. The DEM Party official also called for the release of former pro-Kurdish leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag and an end to “security-centered policies.”

Temelli stressed that parliament must prioritize a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue, citing Ocalan’s call for “peace and a democratic society” as proof of the inseparable link between peace, democracy, unity, and togetherness.

He recalled that the past year has been important, pointing to an event on October 1st of last year involving Devlet Bahceli, the leader of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which signaled the start of a peace process. He also highlighted Ocalan’s call in February to lay down arms and the PKK's July ceremony where 30 fighters symbolically disarmed.

The PKK's disarmament ceremony followed its leader's call to abandon armed struggle and pursue a political solution to secure Kurdish rights in Turkey.

A Turkish parliamentary commission has been established to create a legal framework for the peace process, though its sessions are being held confidentially.

Temelli argued that “The past year is very important for shaping the coming year and the years ahead. This legislative year must free itself from the illnesses of the past. It points to an important year that places democratic customs at its center.”

He stressed that cooperation between the government and opposition could result in a legislative year that “meets the expectations of society.”

“Of course, there are deficiencies and insufficiencies, but these must be addressed urgently, and Parliament has the responsibility to take steps in this legislative year that can bring about a real solution,” he said, concluding that “the Kurdish issue must be solved by democratic means.”

The PKK, established in 1978, initially sought Kurdish independence before shifting its focus to securing political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. It is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.