President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held phone calls with heads of state and government after the PKK terrorist group started disarmament on Friday.
On Saturday and Sunday, Erdoğan talked to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The leaders wished further success in the terror-free Türkiye initiative that culminated in the first batch of PKK terrorists burning their weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq.
The terror-free Türkiye plan was built upon a call by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, who last year urged PKK jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan to invite the group to abandon arms. Erdoğan endorsed the initiative, which was later shaped by visits to Öcalan by a PKK-linked party. In May, the PKK announced that it would heed Öcalan’s February call for dissolution.
Türkiye has taken a step to remove terrorism from both the country's and the region's agenda through its terror-free Türkiye initiative, Erdoğan told Sheikh Mohammed in his phone call.
During the call, Erdoğan said these efforts will continue with determination, according to Türkiye's Directorate of Communications.
Sheikh Mohammed expressed that Ankara's terror-free Türkiye goal will significantly contribute to regional security, and also extended his wishes for a successful completion of the process.
Erdoğan also stressed that the strategic partnership between Türkiye and the UAE has yielded positive results in all fields, noting the great potential between the two countries, particularly in the defense industry and emerging technologies.
The Turkish president added that Ankara is closely monitoring the peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia launched in Abu Dhabi and will continue supporting endeavors to establish lasting calm in the Caucasus.
Erdoğan on Saturday underlined Türkiye's commitment to eliminating terrorism in the region during separate phone calls with the Iraqi prime minister and Azerbaijani president.
In a phone call with Al Sudani, he said that Ankara aims to permanently eradicate terrorism from the region.
"The terror-free Türkiye process is being carried out with great care," Erdoğan said.
He stressed that Türkiye will continue to take decisive steps and remain vigilant against attempts to undermine this process.
The two leaders also discussed regional as well as global issues.
The president also said that both countries continue to develop their relations by evaluating cooperation opportunities in various areas, primarily the Development Road, based on the principle of mutual benefit.
In a separate phone call with Aliyev, Erdoğan said that the process initiated with the goal of a terror-free Türkiye will also contribute to clearing the region of terrorist groups, adding that the successful completion of the process will strengthen regional security.
Aliyev, for his part, said that the success Türkiye has achieved in the process launched with the goal of a terror-free Türkiye is significant and expressed his satisfaction with the progress made, and conveyed his hope that the process will be successfully completed and reach its goal.
The call also addressed the Türkiye-Azerbaijan bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues.
Erdoğan said that Türkiye will continue to advance its relations with Azerbaijan in all areas, adding that Ankara continues to support efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus.
