Everything began on October 1, 2024, when Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), shook hands with members of the left-wing pro-Kurdish DEM Party during the opening of the 28th term of the Turkish Parliament in Ankara. Bahçeli, who had a long history of disrespecting the DEM Party and its various predecessors, drew significant attention. People immediately began to question the motives behind the unexpected handshake.
On October 15, Bahçeli invited Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, to declare the dissolution of the organization in the Turkish parliament. This speech was seen as a historic moment in Turkish politics, and Bahçeli even mentioned the possibility of Öcalan being released.
The following day, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region, in Ankara.
On October 22, Devlet Bahçeli reiterated his invitation to Abdullah Öcalan. The next day, Ömer Öcalan met with his uncle in person. On the 27th, Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, expressed his support for peace while also emphasizing the importance of Northeast Syria being included. During those days, Bahçeli was making many pro-Kurdish statements, actively stating that Kurds are an integral part of Turkey, whereas in the past he would refer to the Kurds as “Easterners”, and the closest he got to saying “Kurds” was “Turks of Kurdish origin”.
On November 26, Bahçeli extended his invitation further and called on the DEM Party to meet with Öcalan in person. They applied for a visit on the same day.
On December 28, Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder from the DEM Party met with Öcalan at İmralı Prison.
On January 12, 2025, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged Öcalan to disband the PKK during a speech in Diyarbakır. Two days later, Bahçeli reiterated his demand.
On January 22, the same DEM Party delegation met with Öcalan for a second time.
Rumors emerged that Öcalan would address parliament on February 15, the anniversary of his arrest. These rumors quickly spread, and Mazloum Abdi confirmed them. Öcalan’s associates also verified the information. The Kurdish public expressed hope for positive outcomes, but many remained cautious and refrained from celebrating early, fearing a repeat of the setbacks that occurred during the previous peace talks.