The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will start a new program through which it will explain the terror-free Türkiye initiative to the public, with high-level officials visiting people and discussing the process.
The program titled “Good Day Neighbor” will aim to better elaborate on the ongoing process and ensure that the initiative will be obstructed.
The presidential council, members of the Central Executive Board, members of Parliament, provincial, district and town mayors, provincial, district and town executive board members, mayors, municipal council and provincial council members will attend the visits and conversations. The visits will not only be made to homes, but the delegations will also visit tradespeople, trade associations, as well as nongovernmental organizations.
The MHP’s deputy chairperson, Semih Yalçın, said that the fact that the terror-free initiative is being implemented from being a project into reality will be explained to the people.
“It will be emphasized that the concept of a terror-free Türkiye should not be considered separately from the hopes for peace fostered by international efforts to end the genocide in Gaza and Israeli terrorism,” he added.
Yalçın also underlined that the initiative is not separate from the interests Türkiye is pursuing around its geography.
“It will be stated that the move for a terror-free Türkiye is a reflection of a great state philosophy that takes into account the balances and equations in our region and embraces our age,” Yalçın continued.
He further added that the opposition will not be successful in trying to change the perception of the initiative negatively.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) when its leader, Devlet Bahçeli, implied that the government should facilitate access to the terrorist group PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, so that he could call on the PKK to lay down arms. Bahçeli’s proposal was endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had earlier hinted at the initiative with messages of unity between Turks and Kurds. The PKK has long justified its campaign of terrorism as a fight for the rights of Kurds. Both Bahçeli and Erdoğan repeatedly said that ending terrorism and maintaining unity were essential for Türkiye’s "home front” in the face of Israeli aggression in the region, pointing to the fact that Israel may target Türkiye next as part of its expansionist policies. Öcalan responded positively to Bahçeli’s call and urged the PKK to lay down arms. In July, the PKK started the disarmament process with a ceremony in northern Iraq. The complete disarmament of the group is expected to be concluded by the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also spoke on the issue in Diyarbakır province, saying that the terror-free Türkiye process is part of a national struggle.
“A ‘terror-free Türkiye’ is the unconditional sovereignty of the national will. It is a Türkiye where words, not weapons, speak loudly, where production, employment and regional development are achieved. It is the continuation of our country's struggle for independence and sovereignty. It means a homeland where Turks, Kurds and all faiths and identities live together in brotherhood. In this context, a ‘terror-free Türkiye’ is not merely a security project; it is a project for peace, development and the expansion of our brotherhood; it is a civilizational goal,” he told reporters.
