As the terror-free Türkiye initiative gains momentum with the establishment of a new parliamentary committee to tackle the matter, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged the public to trust the state about the process.

There is no room for bargaining, negotiation, concessions or secret attempts in the terror-free Türkiye process, Erdoğan said in a letter to the families of martyrs killed by the PKK terrorist group and veterans of the counterterrorism fight.

In the letter made public on Thursday, the president emphasized that every inch of the land is steeped in the blood of martyrs and veterans, saying the peace, security and pride Türkiye enjoys today is owed above all to their sacrifice and protecting their legacy is the state’s foremost duty. "I particularly request and implore you to be certain that there has been no room for bargaining, negotiation, concessions, secret and servile initiatives at any point in this process, and there will be no room for such in the future,” Erdoğan wrote.

"No step has been taken, nor will be taken, that would torment the precious souls of our martyrs or hurt the families of our martyrs and our veterans,” he added. Once the goals of a terror-free country and the region are achieved, a brand new chapter will be opened for the country, Erdogan said, adding: "Our thousand-year-old brotherhood will reach a new stage; and the seeds of discord sown among us will be uprooted and cast away forever.”

Erdoğan also sent a letter to all citizens on the goals of a terror-free Türkiye. He said they continue to work tirelessly for a strong and great Türkiye, with the awareness that they carry the responsibility of each and every citizen on their shoulders. He said over the past 23 years, through the investments that were made, and the projects, reforms, services, and regulations that were implemented, Türkiye has been elevated to a respected position both in its region and on the global stage. He emphasized that despite all the obstacles placed before them, they have joined forces with the nation to strengthen democracy, expand rights and freedoms, eliminate tutelage structures, and establish the sovereignty of the national will across all state institutions.

He said that while they are uncompromisingly combating all forms of terrorism, they are taking all necessary steps to ensure that 86 million citizens live in peace, tranquility and brotherhood. "Together with our nation, we are determined to break the bloody chain that has prevented our country from achieving its goals for half a century. God willing, we will eventually reach the goal of a terror-free Türkiye and a terror-free region,” he said.

"Rest assured, we know exactly what we are doing and are acting with strategic intelligence, utmost care and sensitivity. Every step we take is calculated meticulously,” the president said.

"There is no room in our efforts for a terror-free Türkiye for any give-and-take process, any bargaining or any steps that would jeopardize our independence and future, and there never will be,” he added. "We have never allowed, and will never allow, any attempt that would hurt the noble souls of our martyrs, upset our veterans, or sadden and shame the families of our fallen heroes.”

The terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli had its first tangible progress in February when the PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, accepted Bahçeli’s call and urged the group to lay down its weapons. In May, the PKK announced it would dissolve itself. Last month, some 30 PKK members, including a senior leader, burned their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq. Although symbolic, the gesture marked the first time that the group had laid down arms in its campaign of violence for more than four decades. The PKK has previously announced so-called unilateral truces but has never entirely given up its ambitions.

The initiative was preceded by calls from Bahçeli and Erdoğan to "reinforce the home front at a time of regional tensions and Israel's expansionism." Elimination of the PKK threat will bolster Türkiye's role as a regional power and reinforce its economy by reducing defense expenditures utilized to fight the PKK for decades. More importantly, it will be a key stage in putting the so-called "Kurdish question" to rest. Since its foundation and first attacks in the 1980s, the PKK has exploited the Kurdish community, claiming to fight for their right to self-determination. State policies simply ignoring Kurds' rights, such as education in Kurdish, further fueled the PKK's violent campaign. The state stepped up counterterrorism efforts in the 1990s, but most of them backfired as controversial abductions and killings of people in the southeast, where the PKK was most active, played into the hands of the PKK's propaganda of oppression of Kurds by the state.

Earlier this week, the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee, led by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, held its first meeting to start weighing the next steps in the initiative. On Friday, it will hold a second meeting and is expected to hear from top officials, including Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalın. The committee has historic importance and represents the first formal framework for such an attempt to end terrorism. Although it will not enact laws to endorse the initiative, its work will involve recommendations that may guide Parliament in drafting new laws on the matter.

Speaking at an event in the northern province of Samsun on Thursday, Kurtulmuş echoed Erdoğan's remarks and said the parliamentary process regarding the initiative was never "a process of negotiation."

"It will determine the next steps in the initiative in light of the new situation that emerged after terrorist group's decision of dissolution. In other words, it will be a reassessment of new developments in the initiative," he said.

Kurtulmuş, who said at the first meeting of the committee that they would preserve the pride of Turks and the dignity of Kurds, told reporters on Thursday that they would respect the memory of martyrs.