Speaker of Parliament Numan Kurtulmuş said Türkiye has crossed a "critical threshold” in its effort to achieve a "terror-free Türkiye,” while stressing that further legal reforms, monitoring and political consensus will be needed to complete the process.

Speaking to editors-in-chief at an iftar gathering in Istanbul on Friday, Kurtulmuş said the country has made significant progress but cautioned that the current stage does not mark the end of the effort.

"This was a vital threshold for Türkiye. We have crossed this threshold. But this does not mean that everything is over. A period of intensive work is needed,” he said.

The comments come as a parliamentary commission approved a report setting out a road map for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the PKK terror group. The commission voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve the report, advancing the terror-free process designed to end decades of PKK terrorism.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU, halted attacks last year and said in May it had decided to dissolve itself in response to a February 2025 call by its imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, to end its decades-long attacks.

The parliamentary vote shifts the process to the legislative theater as Ankara advances efforts to end PKK terrorism that began in 1984 and killed more than 40,000 people, sowing discord at home and spreading violence across borders into Iraq and Syria.

Kurtulmuş said the next phase of the initiative depends on armed groups complying with recent calls from Imrali prison where Öcalan has been held since 1999 and taking concrete steps consistent with what he described as a new era. He acknowledged that not all weapons have been surrendered and that some PKK members may have moved elsewhere.

"Determining whether the terrorist organization has fully disbanded and laid down its arms is the responsibility of state security institutions rather than parliament,” Kurtulmuş told journalists.

The parliamentary commission therefore described the current stage as a "critical threshold” and recommended that the executive branch establish a mechanism to monitor developments and report on compliance.

The speaker also called for legal measures outlined in the report to be brought to parliament’s agenda immediately after Ramadan, describing the document as a framework or "touchstone” for future action rather than a binding text.

"The proposals are advisory. Political parties will come together, discuss what can be done and work toward regulations that all parties can support,” he said, emphasizing that the goal is broad consensus rather than passing legislation through a simple parliamentary majority.

Kurtulmuş rejected concerns that references in the report to relations among Turks, Kurds and Arabs could undermine Türkiye’s unitary structure, calling such interpretations a false perception. No proposal has been made to change the state system or territorial integrity, he said, adding that the process is based on social integration and national unity.

Addressing public sentiment, Kurtulmuş said parliament has not conducted its own surveys but is aware of existing research indicating broad support. He pointed to commission hearings where families affected by violence expressed different experiences but shared a common demand.

"What both sides said was: ‘We want to bury the weapons, not our children,’” he said, describing the phrase as the central message of the hearings.

He cautioned that risks remain, including the possibility of provocations or attempts to derail the process, even as public satisfaction appears to be growing.

Separately, Kurtulmuş renewed calls for a new civilian constitution, saying there is broad political agreement that the current charter, drafted after the 1980 military coup, is outdated and no longer sufficient for Türkiye.

He said discussions on additional legal reforms related to the security process, including possible changes to penal regulations, remain at an early stage and will be shaped through negotiations among political parties in the coming period.