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Since the Turkish Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi - AKP) determined to address the Kurdish question through what is called the “democratic initiative,” there has been hope that political violence would finally come to an end after 25 years. Despite its shortcomings, the democratic initiative created a positive environment and many Kurdish intellectuals openly supported the process. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of the Interior Besir Atalay have held many meetings with intellectuals, opinion leaders, and leaders of non-governmental organizations. Pro-Kurdish non-governmental organizations have also held conferences to discuss possible ways to end the violence