We have progressed from the times when talking about peace was deemed inappropriate, to the present day when peace has become part of the mainstream political discourse, and a call to bid farewell to arms has been issued by the prime minister's office. If the peace process advances in the right direction and is successful, the recent statement issued by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) authorities at the Dolmabahçe Prime Ministry Office will be remembered as a turning point in years to come, when "Turkey's Peace Model" is in question.It will be recognized as a milestone, not only because it is the first mutual statement of the parties announced to the press, but also because it proclaimed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for the organization to lay down its arms for the first time in the history of the 30-year, ongoing conflict. Previously, Öcalan had only called on the PKK to temporarily leave Turkey, including his call in 1999 when the PKK drew back from Turkish borders. And although his call in 2013 highlighted the theme of "arms must be silenced, power must reside in ideas," it offered little more than a retreat across the border. So, this too is a new phenomenon in the history of the PKK.Focusing solely on the 10 articles Öcalan listed in his text might lead us to miss the heart of the matter, since these 10 articles are not preconditions for PKK disarmament, but are presented as political aims that must be met through an unarmed struggle. By whom? Directly by Öcalan. Öcalan now calls the PKK to hold a disarmament congress "on the basis of ending armed struggle according to principles which enable a meeting on common grounds." Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan emphasized the points of "accelerating efforts to lay down arms, accomplishing a complete cessation and highlighting democratic politics as a method," which solidify this common and principal ground.Some prisoners will be transferred to İmralı Island to form the secretariat Öcalan demanded prior to the disarmament congress, which is expected to be organized in spring, before the general elections. A monitoring board will be formed, consisting of several members of the Wiseman Commission. In addition, the issue of releasing those prisoners suffering from illnesses, which is underlined by the HDP, will be finalized. This is the technical part of the process.Another groundbreaking aspect of the statement is that it demonstrated to the public, in the clearest way possible, that the ongoing process is an official procedure, consisting of particular parties, and that the state is one such party. The announcement of Öcalan's words to the public in a live broadcast from the Prime Ministry's Office clearly indicates this fact.The statement also holds significance for the upcoming elections. Undoubtedly, the elections that will be held free of the shadow of arms is an achievement for our democracy, and consequently, for all the political parties. But it is evident that these developments will particularly affect the vote rates of the AK Party and HDP positively, since the AK Party is the coordinator of the process and the HDP is its partner. Anyone taking risks and endeavoring to achieve peace would naturally win a return in politics. However, the HDP may obtain even more benefits from the process because aside from the grassroots of the HDP, all those who cannot decide between the AK Party and the HDP may lean toward voting for the HDP due to this atmosphere of peace. Particularly any "hesitant" Kurdish voters residing in metropolitan centers might lean towards the HDP in order to support the party with the likely higher election threshold. The Dolmabahçe statement has already started to make positive contributions to the civilian political struggle and democracy.