Main political events in the last week.
Main political events in the last week.
Last week in Türkiye, the process of talks with the imprisoned PKK terrorist organization’s leader Abdullah Öcalan, initiated by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader and AKP’s coalition partner Devlet Bahçeli, continues.
US’s elected president Donald Trump made statements about Türkiye’s role in Syria.
Another important topic of the week was the new wave of price hikes coming with the new year.
Talks with the PKK continue
The “unnamed” process sparked by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s call for PKK’s leader Öcalan to “declare in Parliament that the disarmament of PKK” continues with a delegation of PKK-affiliated DEM party deputies meeting Öcalan and relaying his messages to other political parties.
DEM Party deputies Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan visited the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan at Imralı Prison for the first time after 4.5 year. Following the meeting, Öcalan’s messages were shared with the public. The messages say:
“For the success of this process, it is essential for all political actors in Türkiye to take initiative, act constructively and contribute positively without being hindered by narrow or short-term interests. Undoubtedly, one of the most significant platforms for these contributions is the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM).
(…)
Recent events in Gaza and Syria have demonstrated that solutions to issues being turned into chronic crises through external interventions can no longer be postponed. The involvement and proposals of the opposition are valuable for advancing this effort in proportion to its gravity.
(…)
I possess the competence and determination to make a positive and meaningful contribution to the new paradigm supported by Mr. Bahçeli and Mr. Erdoğan.”
Following the visit to Imralı, the DEM Party delegation began a series of meetings with parties represented in the TBMM. Their first visits on January 2 were to Speaker of the TBMM Numan Kurtulmuş and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli. The DEM Party delegation continued by meeting with the ruling AKP representatives, led by Parliamentary Group Chair Abdullah Güler. The AKP delegation included notable figures such as AK Party Deputy Chair Efkan Ala, Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik and Deputy Chair Özlem Zengin.
The meeting of 75 minutes concluded without a joint statement. AKP Group Chair Güler described the meeting as “cordial and productive” adding that a statement could be made in the future if necessary.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, Güler clarified that “there is no discussion of an amnesty on our agenda” referring to the speculation about general amnesty for terror-related offenses and potential house arrest for Abdullah Öcalan, he remarked:
On January 7, the delegation visited the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and met with Chairman Özgür Özel. The CHP delegation included General Secretary Selin Sayek Böke, Deputy Chair Gökçe Gökçen and Deputy Group Chair Gökhan Günaydın. After the meeting, CHP leader Özgür Özel stated:
“We have consistently said that the CHP will contribute to every step taken to resolve Türkiye’s 50-year problem and prevent further losses. We shared our views, both positive and negative. Our historical stance is that this process should proceed under the leadership of the Parliament. For the steps to follow, a commission including all political parties is necessary.”
DEM Party representative Sırrı Süreyya Önder also commented:
“We had the opportunity for comprehensive discussions. Concerns and objections are as meaningful as the support given. Since this issue concerns the future of the entire society, we must find solutions for all of them.”
The delegation also held meetings with representatives from the Future Party and the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA). However, the İYİ Party declined to schedule a meeting with the DEM delegation.
After completing their parliamentary tour, the DEM Party delegation visited their former leader Selahattin Demirtaş in prison. Demirtaş made a written statement following the visit:
“I want to state my full confidence in and support for our party, DEM Party, and especially Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, who has made significant efforts for democratic resolution and peace on Imralı Island (…) It is valuable that our delegation is informing political parties in Parliament as a matter of transparency and will continue to inform civil society organizations, political groups and societal actors in the coming days. (…) Although there is a deliberate avoidance of naming this process, from our perspective, it is a ‘Democratization, Peace and Brotherhood’ process. As actors engaging in democratic and peaceful politics, we desire, demand and support a permanent end to conflicts and violence.
If Mr. Öcalan takes an initiative when conditions allow, we will stand by him. The responsibility of establishing the legal and political groundwork for such a call, as he has stated, rests with the government and Parliament. We will provide every support possible at this stage for peace initiatives. However, we are neither the ones to make the call nor the direct addressees of any such call (…)
During this critical and historic period, I extend my gratitude and support to President Erdoğan, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, Mr. Özgür Özel, and all other party leaders for the initiatives they have taken and will take for peace. I affirm my unwavering support for any step taken to strengthen democracy beyond personal or party interests.”
Reactions to the new PKK-Process intensify
Meanwhile, there comes also backlashes to the newly initiated process. İYİ Party leader Müsavvat Dervişoğlu described the new process as “treason”. He said: “The government and its partners are engaging in an uprising against the Turkish nation”. Dervişoğlu also reacted to the statements that the process will be managed through Parliament, saying “What authority does the National Assembly have to manage this process? Two people are dragging Türkiye into big troubles.”
Victory Party too strongly opposed the process. The leader of Victory Party, Ümit Özdağ, declared that they would organize protests against the process:
“We believe it’s time to take to the streets to ensure that murderers are not pardoned, terrorists are not released, and that the Republic of Türkiye does not kneel before a terrorist organization and that the conditions of terrorists are not accepted.
(…)
We may not be in Parliament, but we can turn all of Türkiye into a parliament. We are not against certain aspects of this process; we are against the process itself as a whole.”
Another party opposing the process is Vatan Party. The party’s leader Doğu Perinçek made the following remarks:
“The system embraces DEM Party. We see that the system has legitimized the PKK terrorist organization. Now all American collaborators came together, hand in hand.
(…)
The leader of this process is Mr. Bahçeli. What led to this is the operations carried out by the US and Israel in Syria, which aimed to overthrow the legitimate government of the Syrian Arab Republic and install a US/Israeli-backed government. If we look closely, we see that in July, Bahçeli started this process.
(…)
Who is the force that brought Bahçeli and the PKK together? The US and Israel! This process is aimed at the formation of a terrorist state, the Second Israel under the name of ‘Kurdistan’, in northern Syria.
(…)
In 1918-1919, the Western imperialists had planned a so-called ‘Kurdistan’, but the Turkish nation defeated it through the War of Independence under the leadership of Atatürk. You will see, that plan will be defeated again.”
Trump’s statements on Türkiye in Syria
Last week, another topic on the agenda was the US’s elected President Donald Trump’s remarks regarding Türkiye’s involvement in Syria. Trump said:
“He’s the one who didn’t attack certain people after I requested him not to. You know who I’m talking about, the Kurds. I don’t know how long that’s going, because they’re natural enemies. They hate each other. But he didn’t do that yet, and he didn’t do it in the past also.”
Calling President Erdoğan as his “friend”, Trump emphasized their relationship:
I think he [Erdoğan] respects me also,” Trump said. “If you look at what happened with Syria, Russia was weakened, Iran was weakened. and he [Erdoğan] is a very smart guy.”
When asked about the U.S. military presence in Syria, Trump declined to comment, saying “I won’t tell you that, because that’s part of a military strategy, but I will say it was Türkiye”.
Trump described Türkiye’s historical and ongoing involvement in Syria as follows: Türkiye went into Syria, want that land for 2,000 years”.
New year price hikes
Türkiye’s ongoing economic turbulence has deepened with a series of price increases. Despite a 30% raise in the minimum wage, bringing it from 17,002.12 TL in 2024 to 22,104.67 TL for 2025, the rising cost of living has already overshadowed this.
With the new year, came a 43.93% increase in the revaluation rate, a 7.56% hike in special consumption tax for alcohol and tobacco products. Electricity and water prices also saw significant increases. The price of 19-liter bottled water, ordered via online platforms, rose from 114.90 TL in December to 129.90 TL with a 13.15% increase.
Natural gas connection and service fees increased by rates ranging from 43.65% to 77.96%, according to a new regulation published in the Official Gazette.
Housing inflation reached 63.09% annually in 2024, and the announcement of a new social housing project caused prices on real estate websites to jump by 500,000 TL in a single day. Rent prices continue to escalate.
Restaurants raised lunch prices by 10–30% in response to rising operational costs. In supermarkets, staples such as bread, as well as alcohol, tobacco, and fuel also saw consecutive price hikes.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stated that electricity and natural gas tariffs might be adjusted once during the year considering inflation trends.
With the weight of the economic turbulence and price hikes, labor strikes and worker movements are anticipated to gain momentum in the coming days.