Türkiye is closely monitoring developments on the ground to prevent setbacks in the “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said Thursday, as Ankara moves ahead with efforts aimed at ending terrorism and extending security cooperation across the region.
Speaking to a live broadcast, Çiftçi said the initiative was being pursued as a state policy, with security institutions continuing to monitor developments as the process advances.
He pointed to both the institutional and legal dimensions of the initiative, saying Parliament had held 21 meetings with a broad range of segments of society before its recess.
Security mechanisms on the ground are also operating to ensure the process is not derailed, he noted.
The minister said regional security was closely connected to developments in Syria, Iraq and Iran, an issue he also discussed during talks with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni in Ankara.
The talks covered both Türkiye’s domestic initiative and Ankara’s broader vision for a “terror-free region,” he stated.
Çiftçi said the PKK’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, was expected to dissolve itself and integrate into Syria’s state structures.
Asked whether Türkiye could remove terrorism entirely from its agenda in 2027, Çiftçi said the pace would depend on the terrorist group complying with the legal framework, surrendering its weapons and completing its dissolution.
“The faster it happens, the more important it will be for our country."
He said a six-month period envisaged under the process would begin after the National Security Council (MGK) confirms that the required conditions have been met.
Moreover, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek separately said Friday that Türkiye was preparing to enter the second phase of the terror-free initiative.
Speaking during a visit to the southern province of Adana, Gürlek said the Justice Ministry had been involved in drafting legislation underpinning the process.
He said implementation would begin after the MGK verifies the terrorist organization’s complete dissolution and disarmament. Gürlek also stressed the importance of explaining the initiative to the public and building support on the ground.
The interior minister also outlined Türkiye’s efforts to deepen security cooperation among members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), following a meeting of interior ministers in Kazakhstan.
Türkiye has proposed establishing a Crime-Fighting Council within the OTS, with officials expecting steps toward formalizing the mechanism at the next ministerial meeting, which is due to be held in Türkiye.
Çiftçi said the council could eventually develop an operational mechanism known as “Türkpol,” modeled on international law enforcement cooperation structures such as Interpol and Europol.
The proposed mechanism would facilitate efforts to identify, apprehend and extradite suspects who commit crimes in one member country and flee to another, while strengthening intelligence and information sharing among Turkic states.
The initiative is intended to accelerate cooperation on cross-border crime, including terrorism, organized crime, cybercrime, illegal gambling, human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Çiftçi remarked that Türkiye had also proposed common passport control points among OTS members, citing European practices as an example of how closer coordination could streamline border procedures.
The proposals form part of Ankara’s broader effort to institutionalize security cooperation among Turkic states while it pursues its domestic initiative to end terrorism and prevent armed groups from posing renewed security threats.
