After 29 years of armed conflict between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and after so many Nevruz “celebrations” passed under the shadow of mutual fear and distrust, now, in the aftermath of Nevruz 2013, a new beginning seems to be fast approaching for the people of Anatolia. On March 21, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, addressed a letter that marked the second step of the peace negotiations, known as the “Imrali Process,” between himself, Turkish government officials and the PKK.

When the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) demanded that Parliament draft legislation and establish a commission to ensure the safe withdrawal of its terrorists, the issue of how PKK units will leave the country became the number one agenda item. The terrorists are expected to fully withdraw from the country by the end of summer as part of the government's settlement talks with the group's leader, Abdullah Ocalan.

Forty-five deputies from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) are scheduled to visit the country's Southeast this weekend for a three-day trip. The deputies, mainly from western provinces, will visit three provinces -- Diyarbakir, Batman and Siirt -- and 13 districts as part of the ongoing peace efforts to end terrorism in the country.

"Let not a drop of blood be shed during the settlement process", said head of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan in a statement after meeting with a Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) delegation which visited him on Wednesday as part of ongoing peace efforts to end the decades-old Kurdish conflict. In his call to Turkey's Kurds who celebrate the 65th birthday of Ocalan across the country, the PKK leader said chances and opportunities for an 'honorable peace' have increased. "This [peace settlement] is the most significant thing that we could present to our people.