ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday his recent meeting with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) was “very constructive,” noting that both sides shared concerns and discussed advancing the peace process with “great sensitivity.”

The DEM Party’s Imrali delegation on October 30 met with Erdogan, discussing the status of the ongoing peace talks, marking their third meeting since October 2024. 

Following the meeting, the DEM Party said they have reached a “mutual understanding” with the Turkish leader on the next steps to advance the talks more quickly.

Important developments occurred in the past week regarding the peace process between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Ankara, recalling the discussion with the Imrali delegation, said Erdogan, emphasizing it as “a very constructive meeting.” 

“We once again confirmed and observed that we share similar concerns about advancing the process with great sensitivity,” he said, speaking before the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentary bloc. 

Erdogan stressed that both the PKK and Ankara “have reached a new junction on the path,” urging all sides to “support the process and focus on providing the maximum possible contribution.”

The peace process was initiated last year by Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who urged jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and call on his group to disarm.

Ocalan made a historic call from the Imrali prison island in February, which was subsequently followed by the PKK announcing its intention to lay down its arms and dissolve in May.

Since then, a Turkish parliamentary commission has been established to create a legal framework for the peace process, with its sessions being held confidentially. 

The commission announced in late October that it will submit a proposal to the assembly outlining the next steps.

In late October, the PKK issued a historic statement, declaring the withdrawal of “all guerrilla forces in Turkey” to the Medya Defense Areas in the Kurdistan Region, where the group’s headquarters in the Qandil Mountains is located.

A day after the Kurdish group announced its withdrawal, the DEM Party said the first phase of the peace process between Ankara and the PKK had been completed. 

Ocalan and the DEM Party have repeatedly expressed concern over the lack of concrete measures to establish a political framework ensuring the success of the peace process.