Erdogan wants to secure support of Kurdish voters through peace deal  with PKK 

ArmInfo.Turkey is ready for a mass amnesty of imprisoned Kurdish politicians.  According to the Russian  Nezavisimaya Gazeta, this is part of a potential deal with Abdullah Ocalan, the leader and ideologist of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

A positive sign of progress in the negotiations was the second  visit in a month  by a delegation of Turkish MPs to the founder of  the left-wing radical group. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likely  aims to resolve the long-standing conflict to gain support from the  Kurdish electorate. However, experts warn that the lower echelons of  the PKK may react to the peace process with terrorist attacks.

 The general parameters of the deal between Ankara and Ocalan are  close to being finalized, according to sources close to the  negotiations, who spoke to the Washington-based publication  Al-Monitor. They mentioned the visit this week by lawmakers from the  DEM party, which represents Kurdish interests, to the island of  Imrali in the Sea of Marmara where the founder of the PKK is  currently being held. Al-Monitor's sources state that Ocalan was  convinced to publicly urge his comrades to disarm. In return, Ankara  pledged to release him and  grant a mass amnesty to imprisoned  Kurdish politicians.  Among them is the well-known opposition figure  Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of the Peoples' Democracy Party,  which was once presented in the Turkish parliament. Al-Monitor's  sources claim that Turkey has separately promised not to apply  pressure on the Syrian Kurds who are fighting for their enclave.  However, American expert Gonul Tol, citing other sources, reported  that, on the contrary, the deal does not include a special status for  northeastern Syria. Instead of autonomy, the units operating there  will be offered to cooperate with a pro-Turkish influence group - the  Kurdish National Council, created with the support of the President  of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani. As Tol noted in her microblog, the  people's self-defense units will be forced to join the unified army  of Syria one way or another. The Iraqi branches of the PKK allegedly  agreed to this, the expert's sources claim. 

According to Tol, the Kurds living in Turkey will receive significant  concessions. Thus, Erdogan's entourage allegedly promised to amend  the Constitution in a way that  will enhance the position of this  ethnic group in the country. Erdogan's critics claim that the Turkish  is aiming to secure the support of the Kurdish voters through a peace  deal with the PKK, a move seen as crucial ahead of the 2028  presidential elections. At a public event, Erdogan himself jokingly  acknowledged his readiness to run for office again.  His Justice and  Development Party (AKP) allies say the issue will be a key focus on  the domestic agenda in 2027.