On Saturday, three Turkish soldiers were killed in broad daylight in the Yüksekova district of the southeastern province of Hakkari, whereupon the People's Democratic Party (HDP) made a statement reminding that the killings came after three PKK members were shot dead by security forces in the Kağızman district of the eastern province of Kars on Oct. 23. Tensions climbed higher in the last two days when PKK militants opened fire on police barracks in Van and burned a sand-laden truck in Dersim. All entries to Dersim were prohibited by the governorate due to a planned opening of a cemetery for fallen PKK members.This unrest occurred at a very critical time when the PKK leader, Abdullah Öcalan, called for peace. The HDP delivered conciliatory messages and its delegation visited the prison on İmralı Island where Öcalan is held and the government made statements to accelerate the reconciliation process with the formation of a five-member secretariat for Öcalan in order to expedite peace talks, which took a severe blow when Kurdish provocateurs took to the streets to protest Turkey's policy on Kobani.It is paradoxical that despite Öcalan's resolute messages regarding the reconciliation process, the HDP made a provocative statement that could be understood that the three soldiers were killed in retaliation for the killing of three PKK members. Even though some members of Parliament from the HDP, including Pervin Buldan, approved of the road map for the reconciliation process before the violence of Oct. 6-7 and that it was confirmed by Öcalan, one of the HDP's co-chairs, Figen Yüksekdağ, and Sırrı Süreyya Önder refuted it, disclosing an evident distrust and stalemate between the parties as well as the tough spot that the reconciliation process is in.More transparency is needed in order to overcome this impasse and to prevent the PKK from taking up arms once again. For instance, the content and schedule of the six-point road map, which is said to have been taken to and approved by Öcalan, should be elucidated upon. It is crucial to inform the public regarding this as the recent events in Yüksekova and other developments are carried out to make the Turkish public withdraw their support from the reconciliation process and to convince the Kurdish public that the process has come to a standstill. It is also of crucial importance to focus further on the reconciliation process, speed up its concrete steps and open communication channels as suggested by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu after the recent tension in Yüksekova. Davutoğlu said this attack would not foil Ankara's determination on the reconciliation process and the implications that suggested this was a retaliatory action were unacceptable. As long as this resolute approach of the government continues, provocations will become marginalized. It is important to provide an impetus to the steps and to establish mutual trust between the parties soon. To this end, the PKK should also do its share and abandon its menacing approach.