The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its partner in the People’s Alliance, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), have turned the spotlight to the terror-free Türkiye initiative amid heightened tensions in the region.
The MHP, whose leader Devlet Bahçeli first proposed the initiative last year, will organize nationwide meetings to discuss the progress in the plan, while the AK Party is scheduled to hold a meeting of its central executive committee to debate the initiative on Tuesday.
The MHP will hold meetings in 81 provinces under the title of “National Unity and Solidarity for Terror-Free Türkiye” in a bid to rally the nation to support the initiative. The party officials said in a statement on Saturday that they sought national agreement and unity for permanent peace and prosperity in the country. A statement by party’s directorate of media, communications and digital platforms said the terror-free Türkiye goal can be achieved if all members of society support it and through the unity of the nation and state.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was first hinted at by officials, including Bahçeli himself and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, months before the initiative took its present form. Erdoğan and Bahçeli had repeatedly highlighted ensuring Türkiye’s unity and establishment of “a home front” as they cited that Israel sought to expand its conflict with Palestinians to the wider region and eventually to Türkiye.
As part of the initiative, the PKK terrorist group ended decades of violence as it announced its dissolution in May following a congress held by the group upon a call by its jailed ringleader Abdullah Öcalan in February.
Bahçeli, a fervent nationalist known for his opposition to the PKK and its affiliates, made an unprecedented call for Öcalan to urge the group to lay down arms and dissolve last year. What followed was visits by Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) lawmakers to Öcalan in the island prison where he is held in the Marmara Sea. After a series of visits by the party linked to the PKK, Öcalan consented to make the call, which was released on Feb. 27.
After decades of military operations to eradicate the group, Türkiye initiated a "reconciliation process" in 2013 in a bid to prevent the PKK from justifying its actions. The process saw the reinstatement of the rights of the Kurdish community, but it ultimately collapsed when the PKK resumed its terror attacks after a brief lull. The new initiative is expected to move forward this summer, with the PKK handing over arms to authorities in Syria and Iraq in a process that will be overseen by Turkish intelligence. After the handover, PKK members not involved in terrorism will be accepted into Türkiye to serve their sentences, according to the media outlets, while the group’s ringleaders holed up in Iraq will likely leave for third countries, the unconfirmed reports say.
The initiative is supported by the opposition parties although some parties partly oppose it. The MHP’s statement on Saturday said the party had a national responsibility and pursued constructive politics. “We are aiming to inform the public correctly, respond to online disinformation about the initiative, reach out to wider society, hear the expectations of the citizens and build bridges of confidence through nationwide meetings,” the party said, highlighting a stronger consensus was needed for achieving the goals of the initiative. The MHP often highlights unity between Turkish and Kurdish community in the country as a way to achieve the initiative. The PKK exploited underprivileged Kurds for decades to justify its attacks targeting everyone, from police and military officers to civilians, including Kurds in the southeast. The MHP’s nationwide meetings will bring together politicians with representatives of provincial chambers, labor unions, nongovernmental organizations, associations set up for veterans of counterterrorism fight and families of people killed by the PKK.
On Tuesday, President Erdoğan will chair his party’s central decision-making and administrative committee for first meeting in weeks, both to discuss terror-free Türkiye and a new, civilian constitution for Türkiye. The party officials will discuss the latest developments regarding the initiative.
