Pakistan, July 8 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM party on Monday, marking a significant step in Turkey's renewed peace efforts with Kurdish militants. The meeting follows recent progress toward ending the PKK's decades-long armed struggle.

The talks were held at the presidential complex in Ankara and lasted just over an hour. Erdogan was joined by senior AKP leader Efkan Ala and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Representing DEM were lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, both of whom called the meeting "historic" and "crucial" for the peace process.

This new phase comes after jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan expressed support for ending the conflict. Buldan and Sancar had met Ocala...