Government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli touted the terror-free Türkiye initiative in his address to the parliamentary group meeting of the party in Ankara on Tuesday.
“Peace does not mean surrender or concession. It is the balance of preserving the nation’s dignity and the state’s power,” he said, in reference to the initiative that aims at the disarmament of the PKK terrorist group. “Peace is an ideal where justice, brotherhood and national existence rise upon,” he added.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative began in 2024 after a landmark speech by Bahçeli, which urged the jailed ringleader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, to call on the PKK to lay down arms. Öcalan responded in February 2025 and made the historic call to the group that has killed tens of thousands of people across Türkiye since the 1980s. Since then, a disarmament process has been underway, while Türkiye plans to introduce new laws and regulations to accommodate it, namely by offering leniency to PKK members not involved in acts of terrorism.
“Peace has two wings, and it only takes off if they flap at the same time. So, the entire nation should have the same stand,” Bahçeli said on Tuesday, underlining the unity required to complete the initiative. “One of those wings is (the PKK’s) decision to dissolve itself, and the second wing is the Turkish nation,” he added. Bahçeli praised Parliament for fulfilling its task to move forward the initiative. A parliamentary committee recently wrapped up the work on a report that will serve as a guide to future legislation for a terror-free Türkiye.
The MHP leader hailed the strong political will in the initiative. “This is an issue beyond usual political debate; it is a strategic matter for the nation’s existence, the future of the state and for social peace. Terror-free Türkiye is the right step at the right time and a historic turning point. It is something sorely missed by our nation and a harbinger of a prosperous, peaceful future where Türkiye will become a leading country in the world,” he said.
He stated that the region where both the world and Türkiye are located is facing serious fractures, risks and geopolitical shocks, adding, “Strengthening our internal structure, reinforcing our national unity, and consolidating social solidarity have become an unavoidable necessity that cannot be postponed.”
He emphasized that the initiative taken by Parliament during this process is being carried out on behalf of the nation with great care, diligence and a strong sense of responsibility. “We are closely following this situation, monitoring the work being done and consider it essential that every necessary sensitivity is shown. In this matter, no gap, no negligence and no weakness can be accepted. There is no need for delay or distraction.”
Pointing out that the Republic of Turkey is the strongest guarantee of deep-rooted brotherhood, a strong future, a shared destiny and an unshakable spirit of unity, Bahçeli stated that this guarantee will endure forever. He concluded: “No one will have the power to disrupt the unity of this noble nation or to harm our brotherhood. As long as this spirit lives on, neither discord will prevail nor will betrayal succeed.”
So far, the initiative has been a series of apparently unilateral steps by the PKK, which started burning weapons in a symbolic move after announcing its dissolution. Authorities have treaded carefully, both not to offend families of the PKK’s victims and to make sure that the PKK fulfills its promises to abandon arms. Currently, the disarmament process is being monitored by Turkish intelligence. The PKK is spread across Iraq, Syria and Iran, and its members may be allowed to return to Türkiye if the initiative succeeds. To ensure returns, Türkiye is required to offer leniency in the sentencing of the PKK members who did not participate in acts of terrorism.
Commenting on the initiative after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan further stressed that recent developments in the region underline the importance of the process.
"At a time when attempts are being made to build walls between Turks, Kurds, Arabs and Persians, we can neutralize these plots with our vision of a terror-free Türkiye and a terror-free region," he said. He added that the initiative has passed several critical thresholds over the past 17 months and gained strength through various tests, with broad political consensus emerging around the process.
