President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said there would be “no turning back” from the terror-free Türkiye initiative, describing the process as the country’s most strategic effort to strengthen national unity and eliminate terrorism permanently.
Speaking at the SAHA 2026 International Defense, Aviation and Space Industry Fair in Istanbul, Erdoğan linked Türkiye’s expanding defense capabilities with its broader security goals, including the ongoing initiative aimed at dismantling the PKK terrorist group’s armed structure.
“Today, the most strategic step we are taking to fortify our internal stronghold is the ‘terror-free Türkiye’ process and the goal of a terror-free region,” Erdoğan said.
“The terror-free Türkiye process is the name of a grand vision that aims to build a peaceful, secure, prosperous future where peace prevails,” he added.
The initiative has entered a critical phase in recent months, with Turkish authorities focusing on the practical implementation of disarmament mechanisms following the PKK’s announcement in 2025 that it would dissolve its organizational structure.
Ankara insists that the process must begin with the unconditional surrender of weapons before any broader legal or political discussions can proceed. Turkish officials say the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) will oversee verification and monitoring efforts to ensure militants fully disarm and withdraw from armed activity.
The process emerged after decades of PKK terrorism that claimed tens of thousands of lives in Türkiye. Officials have repeatedly emphasized that the current framework differs from the failed 2013-2015 reconciliation process by prioritizing concrete developments on the ground rather than political declarations.
Recent statements by senior PKK figures suggested internal tensions over control of the process, particularly between imprisoned PKK ringleader Abdullah Öcalan and commanders based in northern Iraq’s Mount Qandil region. Turkish officials view control over the group’s weapons and disarmament timeline as the key unresolved issue.
Erdoğan framed the initiative as part of a broader national struggle rooted in Türkiye’s history of resistance and unity.
“We went hungry, we went thirsty, we were left without weapons, without ammunition, but we never lost our faith, we never succumbed to despair,” he said.
“At the heart of this will lies the sacred memory and blessed legacy of the heroes who sacrificed their lives for their homeland and nation,” Erdoğan added, referring to security forces and civilians killed in terrorist attacks.
The president also stressed that Türkiye now possesses the military and technological strength to defend itself independently, highlighting advances in domestically produced fighter aircraft, drones, missiles, naval systems and electronic warfare technologies.
“Türkiye is a state that possesses more than enough power and strength to break the will of any hostile element that dares to threaten its independence and future,” he said.
The initiative has also exposed growing divergence between the PKK’s armed leadership and the pro-PKK Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), whose officials have publicly supported disarmament and warned the organization against delaying the process.
Turkish officials say the next stage will center on verification mechanisms, legal arrangements concerning militants not involved in crimes and ensuring the complete dismantling of the PKK’s armed infrastructure.
