Peace commission set for last session ahead of final report

A parliamentary commission overseeing Türkiye’s latest peace initiative is set to convene this week for what is expected to be its final meeting before completing a long-awaited report on the process.

The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission held its 19th session on Dec. 4, reviewing findings from a cross-party delegation that visited jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on the İmralı prison island last month.

Parliament Speaker and commission head Numan Kurtulmuş previously said he would gather lawmakers’ final assessments this week. The upcoming meeting is expected to conclude the commission’s formal work, after which Kurtulmuş’s office will draft the final report based on proposals submitted by participating parties.

He is expected to announce the report at a press conference in the coming days, daily Hürriyet said on Dec. 8.

The commission operates under the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, through which PKK first declared a ceasefire before announcing its decision to disarm and dissolve. A first batch burned its weapons in July, and the terror group said in late October it had withdrawn from Turkish territory.

Representatives from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) visited Öcalan on Nov. 24. Kurtulmuş’s office described the talks as yielding “positive results” for social cohesion and regional stability.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the New Path alliance — comprising the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), the Felicity Party (SP) and the Future Party — declined to participate in the visit.

The commission’s official term expires on Dec. 31, though it has the authority to extend its mandate in two-month intervals. Local media says such an extension is not expected.

Since its formation last year, the panel has heard testimony from ministers, unions, business groups, academics, legal experts, civil society representatives and families of fallen soldiers.

Its final report will be implemented once state security authorities confirm that PKK has been fully eliminated, according to the Hürriyet. Parties are expected to prepare legislative proposals based on the commission’s recommendations and submit them to parliament, where they would proceed through the Justice Commission before reaching the general assembly for debate and a vote.