Commenting on the decision of Parliament’s Resolution Commission to send a delegation to listen to Abdullah Öcalan, journalist Banu Güven said that “Abdullah Öcalan has previously been accepted as a legitimate interlocutor in politics,” and noted that elected MPs from parliament visiting the Island with a delegation other than the DEM Party’s clearly indicates “going one step further in recognizing him as an interlocutor.”

Güven said the fact that the ruling partners are included in the delegation adds to the importance of the decision, adding: “It is important that a group of MPs elected by the nation come together and go there.”

She emphasized that by not joining the delegation, the CHP missed the opportunity to receive first-hand messages and convey them to its voters. Güven said CHP leader Özgür Özel’s decision, after lengthy discussions, not to take part in the delegation was based on two main factors. She said the CHP is facing one of the biggest political operations in recent times, and that while the party is struggling against trustee appointments and the disqualification of a potential rival to Erdoğan through imprisonment, being in the same delegation as the AKP and MHP would also have been a major burden.

Güven added that concerns about more nationalist voters within the CHP who are not ready for such an engagement possibly shifting to the İYİ Party or other parties may also have influenced the decision. She also noted that the CHP leadership and new management have so far managed to separate the process of de-escalation from the party’s own internal problems.

Commenting on CHP commission member Murat Emir’s statement, 'We will continue to be part of this process, or any process aimed at democratization and peace, and at recognizing the Kurdish issue and resolving problems. Our position is in favor of reaching a solution on this issue; we insist on it,' Güven underlined that this was a message directed at DEM Party voters.

Güven concluded that it is very important for a delegation including the ruling partners to go to Imralı, but that a more comprehensive picture including members of the CHP and the Yeni Yol Group would contribute even more to the resolution process.