Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç on Friday emphasized the importance of parliamentary involvement in securing permanent disarmament of the PKK terrorist group as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
Speaking at a press conference at the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Çanakkale Provincial Headquarters, Tunç said members of Parliament are actively consulting on measures to make disarmament permanent.
“Political party representatives and deputies are expressing their views on making the disarmament permanent, and in this sense, the will of Parliament and its involvement in this matter are very important for the process to be permanent,” he said.
Tunç highlighted the ongoing work of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democratization Committee, which was established last month to supervise the initiative and the dissolution of the PKK, which has massacred over 40,000 people in Türkiye in a four-decadelong terror campaign.
“We have lost nearly 50,000 people, suffered martyrs and experienced great suffering,” Tunç said. “Türkiye has suffered trillions in economic losses over 41 years. If these losses had not occurred, our economy would be much higher today.”
He highlighted government efforts over the past 23 years to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism, strengthen civil rights and attract investment nationwide.
Tunç urged vigilance against provocations and warned that there are domestic and international forces opposed to the PKK’s permanent resolution.
“All state institutions, especially the intelligence agency and relevant ministries, have brought the process to this point with full coordination,” he said. “We are striving to continue our efforts together to ensure that the process becomes permanent with great care and to achieve a Türkiye free of terrorism.”
The minister also used the occasion to call for a new constitution, criticizing the current framework, which was drafted following the 1980 military coup.
“Today is the anniversary of September 12th, and we are dissatisfied with being governed by a 'coup constitution,'” Tunç said. “This Constitution must change. We must achieve a democratic, civil, and participatory constitution as we begin the second century of the republic.”
Tunç argued that while political parties agree on the need for a new constitution, there has been little progress due to disagreements over methods and compromises.
“Being governed by a Constitution drafted by coup plotters is unbecoming of Türkiye in this century of Turkish history,” he said. He added that a constitution drafted by elected representatives would prioritize fundamental rights and freedoms, strengthen democracy and leave behind the history of military interventions.
The minister reaffirmed the AK Party’s commitment to a new constitution, noting that it has been part of the party’s program and electoral promises. He emphasized that if consensus on methodology is reached among political parties, it would serve the national interest.
The minister concluded by stressing that the PKK’s permanent disarmament and a new democratic constitution would mark a turning point in Türkiye’s history.
“With a democratic constitution built upon all the achievements of the republic, we will have begun the Century of Türkiye in a much more secure manner,” he said.
