Mustafa Bildircin
The Parliamentary National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission met for the 18th time today.
The meeting held to decide whether PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan would be visited in İmralı started today at 14.13 under the chairmanship of Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.
In his opening speech, Kurtulmuş said “Some issues regarding the next phase will be clearly discussed at this meeting”. Kurtulmuş requested the meeting to be held as a closed session.
CHP Group Deputy Chair Murat Emir reacted to the request for a closed meeting and explained CHP’s position on İmralı as follows:
“We said that such difficult issues should be held openly, transparently and in front of the public. When our commission began its work, we stated that a closed decision could only be taken by the decision of the commission. Our commission has so far decided on a closed meeting in three sessions. In this meeting ministers and the MİT chief shared their views. We also supported secrecy in these sessions because information regarding state security could be given.
But I want to state that we do not find it right for the meeting where going to İmralı will be discussed to be held behind closed doors. It is important that everyone, every political party, clearly puts forward its position here. If such a visit is to be held, if a delegation is to make the visit, apparently a five-person delegation, this must certainly be done through a vote. I want to present my party’s position to the attention of our commission.”
MHP’S İMRALI INSISTENCE
MHP Deputy Chair Feti Yıldız reiterated MHP’s stance on going to İmralı. Repeating in the commission MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s words “If no one agrees to this visit I will take three of my friends and go to İmralı with my own means”, Yıldız said:
“A vote must be held in our commission. The procedures and principles of the commission’s work are clear. I reiterate that we favour this vote being secret. If colleagues prefer it to be open, we will fully respect it.”
YENİ YOL GROUP: THE MEETING SHOULD BE OPEN
Speaking on behalf of the Yeni Yol Group, Bülent Kaya said in summary: “We want this meeting to be open. We will vote in favour of an open session and open voting. Many parties came here and shared their information. We also think it is useful to hear those who cannot physically come to the commission but whose knowledge is needed. Therefore we think the commission should listen to everyone to complete its report.
The aim here is to consult everyone’s knowledge. Of course this commission has granted itself the authority to decide on everything. The aim here is that those whose knowledge is consulted are listened to by all 51 members. Therefore we say alternative ways must also be discussed.”
KOÇYİĞİT: HISTORY WILL WRITE THOSE WHO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
DEM Parti Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit made the following assessment regarding a possible İmralı visit:
“We listened to many people here. What we saw is that everyone in one way or another said something. There is a problem and this problem must be solved. Everyone we listened to called on the members of this commission. Today those who take responsibility will be written by history, those who do not will also be written by history. PKK has ended its 52-year existence. Öcalan called for the practical destruction of weapons. The whole world witnessed the burning of the weapons. Those who burned their weapons could not return to this country because there was no legal arrangement. This issue is above politics. This is not an election issue, we are talking about our future.
WE MUST LISTEN
We have no luxury to miss another peace by circling around the issue. We cannot get out of this by putting the matter only into a terror or security framework. Let’s go and ask the main party of the issue. Let’s talk about what will be done next. Do we take minutes or record video I don’t know. Let’s inform the commission. Wanting peace requires certain things. Those who want peace take responsibility for peace. This is not about insistence, this is a necessity. If we want the process to move forward today we must listen to Öcalan.
The Kurdish people, let’s be clear, are constantly asking about the commission. Today the Kurdish people are at a historic crossroads. They are noting one by one who stands for democracy and peace and who shows courage. We are on the right side of history. Whether the vote is open or closed has no meaning for us. We think we should go to the island and listen to Öcalan.”
HÜDAPAR Chair Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu also suggested the SEGBİS method. Saying that Öcalan could be listened to digitally, Yapıcıoğlu recorded the view that “All commission members should be allowed to ask questions”.
KURTULMUŞ: RESPONSIBILITY, PLURALISM
After the speeches Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş shared the following views before the vote: “We never saw the work here as the agenda of a political party. Historical responsibility can only be realised through an understanding of pluralism. Since the commission was formed we have emphasised democratic maturity. It is not possible to have 100% consensus on every issue. But putting forward a sound report is one of the most important duties of the commission.”
SEGBİS PROPOSAL REJECTED
The request to speak with Abdullah Öcalan via SEGBİS was rejected by a vote. There had been proposals in the commission in this direction.
CLOSED SESSION VOTE
After the vote the second session of the commission was closed to the press. DEM Parti, AKP and MHP voted “yes” for the commission to be closed.
CHP members of the commission decided not to attend the closed session.
On the other hand EMEP, TİP, DSP and DP voted “no” in the closed session vote.
DECISION TAKEN BY MAJORITY
How the commission would decide on the İmralı visit had been a matter of curiosity.
According to the final decision a vote was held for the İmralı visit.
The result of the vote was in favour of going to İmralı. The votes of AKP, MHP and DEM Parti were decisive.
In the commission vote 32 “yes” votes were cast.
HOW DID EACH PARTY VOTE?
According to the information obtained, in the vote held in the closed session, the yes, no and abstention votes were distributed as follows:
AKP-MHP-DEM: 30 yes
(AKP’s Kürşad Zorlu did not attend)
EMEP-TİP: 2 yes
DP-DSP-HÜDAPAR: 3 no
(It was claimed that HÜDAPAR also said “yes”)
YENİ YOL: 2 abstentions
(Mehmet Emin Ekmen did not attend)
CHP and YRP did not attend: 12 votes not cast
KURTULMUŞ MET WITH DEPUTY CHAIRS BEFORE THE MEETING
Before the critical meeting Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who chairs the process commission, met at 13.30 with the coordinating group deputy chairs in the commission. The meeting lasted 15 minutes.
WHO WILL GO TO İMRALI?
DEM Parti had announced that Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit would go on the İmralı visit.
MHP Deputy Chair Feti Yıldız said before today’s meeting “I will go to İmralı on behalf of MHP”.
On the other hand it had been claimed that AKP Deputy Chair and Hatay MP Hüseyin Yayman was expected to go to İmralı on behalf of AKP.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Komisyon İmralı’ya gidiyor: CHP adaya gitmeme kararı aldı, kapalı oturumdan çıktı, published in BirGün newspaper on November 21, 2025.
