Two senior figures of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) played down a new era in ties with the government and its main ally. "If a new process begins, it should begin with talks with Imralı," Sezai Temelli, acting parliamentary group chair of the party, told reporters on Monday. He was referring to the island where Abdullah Öcalan, leader of terrorist group PKK, is jailed.

DEM Party is known for its intricate links with the group, which killed tens of thousands over the past few decades. Still, the government launched what is informally called the "reconciliation process" more than a decade ago to put an end to the campaign of terror without counterterrorism operations. Though the process was shelved upon PKK’s renewed campaign of violence, the DEM Party remained in politics, changing its name constantly to avoid closure.

The government’s main ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has been the most fervent opponent of DEM, frequently calling for its closure. However, its veteran leader Devlet Bahçeli surprised the public when he shook hands with DEM’s co-chairs during the reopening of Parliament on Oct. 1. Bahçeli’s move and his subsequent statements that signaled normalizing ties with DEM he vehemently criticized was interpreted as the resumption of a "reconciliation process" by political pundits. Bahçeli and top names of MHP, however, insist that it is simply a gesture on the path to more political unity in Türkiye amid the growing security threat from Israel.

Temelli said the DEM Party was ready to take upon responsibility for a new reconciliation process, while Gülistan Koçyiğit, acting parliamentary group co-chair of the party, said Imralı had a facilitating role in ensuring "peace." Koçyiğit added that a simple handshake or greeting to DEM Party co-chairs would not "produce a reconciliation process." "Türkiye has experience on this matter and knows what steps should be taken," she said. DEM Party’s predecessor, HDP, was accused by its critics of undermining the process by inciting riots in provinces with a predominantly Kurdish population. The PKK perpetuates its campaign of terrorism under the pretext of protecting the rights of the Kurdish community in the country, the very rights the government sought to fully implement before the collapse of the reconciliation process.

Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented on Bahçeli’s outreach to DEM and defined it as a positive step in Türkiye’s democratic process. "This step by Mr. Bahçeli cannot be put aside," Erdoğan told reporters.