Speaking at the first meeting of a parliamentary committee on the terror-free Türkiye initiative in Ankara on Tuesday, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said Türkiye was at a turning point, a vital moment to shape the country's future.

The committee, comprised of 48 lawmakers from most parties represented at Parliament, will weigh how the initiative will proceed, especially in terms of laws and regulations regarding the status of the PKK terrorist group and its members. This may include lenient sentences for surrendering members of the group.

Parliamentarians from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the New Path bloc, the Türkiye Labor Party (TIP), the Labor Party (EMEP), the New Welfare Party (YRP), the Democratic Left Party (DSP), the Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) and the Democrat Party (DP) attended the inaugural meeting of the committee, which was expected to define working methods of the group.

Although Parliament is in summer recess, the committee will continue to work without interruption. Kurtulmuş will serve as chairperson but is not eligible to vote in the committee's voting processes. AK Party's committee members include former Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül. CHP’s committee members will consist of Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Murat Emir, Deputy Chairs Gökçe Gökçen and Murat Bakan, and lawmakers from Istanbul, Diyarbakır, Ankara and Muğla. Among them are Türkan Elçi, the widow of Diyarbakır Bar Association’s former Chair Tahir Elçi, who died in 2015 in crossfire during a shootout between police officers and PKK members, and Sezgin Tanrıkulu, a prominent parliamentarian who has often made headlines for his heavy criticism of counterterrorism efforts.

The committee will not directly propose bills but will likely refer its reports to other subcommittees of Parliament, which will then discuss and vote on bills for their referral to the Parliament's General Assembly. The General Assembly is the ultimate authority in Parliament to pass laws. Throughout its tenure, the committee will also hear statements of actors involved or affected by the initiative, from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which monitors the PKK's disarmament, to families of terror victims. The committee is expected to recommend amendments in counterterrorism laws and the Turkish Penal Code to accommodate the needs of the initiative, especially in terms of the state of people convicted of terrorism or aiding and abetting the PKK.

The terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli had its first tangible progress in February when the PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, accepted Bahçeli’s call and urged the group to lay down its weapons. In May, the PKK announced it would dissolve itself. Last month, some 30 PKK members, including a senior leader, burned their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq. Although symbolic, the gesture marked the first time that the group has laid down arms in its campaign of violence for more than four decades. The PKK has previously announced so-called unilateral truces but has never entirely given up its ambitions.

The initiative was preceded by calls from Bahçeli and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to "reinforce the home front at a time of regional tensions and Israel's expansionism." Elimination of the PKK threat will bolster Türkiye's role as a regional power and reinforce its economy by reducing defense expenditures utilized to fight the PKK for decades. More importantly, it will be a key stage in putting the so-called "Kurdish question" to rest. Since its foundation and first attacks in the 1980s, the PKK has exploited the Kurdish community, claiming to fight for their right to self-determination. State policies simply ignoring Kurds' rights, such as education in Kurdish, further fueled the PKK's violent campaign. The state stepped up counterterrorism efforts in the 1990s, but most of them backfired as controversial abductions and killings of people in the southeast, where the PKK was most active, played into the hands of the PKK's propaganda of oppression of Kurds by the state.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reached out to the Kurdish community by launching a "reconciliation process" in the 2010s, to reinstate the rights of the community so the PKK would not have room for exploitation. The process succeeded to some extent with the PKK declaring a so-called truce, but soon, Türkiye had to revert to hawkish security policies when the PKK resumed its attacks after a brief lull. Subsequently, Türkiye managed to limit the group's presence in Iraq and Syria and the group has been unable to launch major attacks as it did in the past, thanks to the crackdown.

Kurtulmuş said in his speech on Tuesday that the committee would serve as a proxy of the nation to resolve the problems. "It is a reflection of a will to provide a new insight into an issue that sucked out the energy of this country for decades and was provoked by those seeking to sow discord. What matters most here is not making it history and solving all problems at once. It is about reminding people that Parliament is the voice of the people, a bearer of social peace, an insurer of brotherhood and a legitimate platform for finding solutions. It is about moving forward with courage, conscience, and justice, rather than political calculations and a narrow mindset. This process that began with the dissolution of the terrorist group is a matter for our revered nation directly, rather than a matter for a political structure," he said.

"We are here to turn common suffering into a common hope. This significant problem, which had persisted for years, compelled politics and the state to act out of a security reflex. But it is high time to discuss freedom, equality and justice in addition to security. This is another mission of the committee. Every step we take should reinforce our brotherhood and peace in these ancient lands. In this context, terror-free Türkiye, as a matter of fact, means a terror-free region," he said. He underlined the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood dating back to the Seljuks, adding that they have to be inspired by their wisdom.

End of darkness

"A dark period blocking the path to the future is being left behind with the resolve of our nation and state. We are not drafting a new constitution here, but we will have our say on brotherhood and unity. The Parliament will remind people of a brotherhood of a thousand years," he said. Kurtulmuş also underlined that the initiative was not the result of a bargain with the PKK. "It is a reflection of the determination of our nation to achieve unity," he said.

"The scourge of terrorism occupied Türkiye for a long time. If we could have devoted our expenditures (to fight the PKK) elsewhere, we would have had many universities, hospitals and schools earlier. We would have a better education. We would have reached the point Türkiye is now far earlier. We would have had defense technologies, locally made helicopters, satellites we take pride in producing on our own far earlier," he said.

Kurtulmuş also vowed that the committee would be loyal to the legacy of "all the heroes who defended the homeland at the cost of their lives," referring to police officers, soldiers and civilians killed by the PKK. He said that one of the most important tasks for the committee was to monitor the disarmament process, and the process should be monitored and directed cautiously "through a legal framework and on a social basis."

"It is important to manage social mindset properly. A rhetoric failing to protect the dignity of Kurds and ignoring the pride of Turks would not lead to peace," he said.

In a written statement on Monday, Bahçeli said there was "no place or time for skepticism.”

"(Türkiye) is going through historic developments in a terror-free initiative. Efforts to thwart it, the pursuit of sabotage in advance of the committee’s work is a campaign aimed at undermining the initiative. I am fully confident that parties contributing to the committee will resist this sinister, dirty campaign,” he said.

Bahçeli said that politics had a successful record and the skills to counter developments overshadowing the process, guided by morals and sanity, and to avoid the dead ends created by the conjuncture. He emphasized that the experience demonstrated that countries without a culture of troubleshooting often fail to distance themselves from being drawn into crisis-oriented contradictions. He added that the Turkish nation has proven, especially in recent years, its ability to confront chronic and severe issues with courage and resilience.

He said Türkiye had a clear path ahead regardless of "dark propaganda.” "This flag raised once will not go down, will not be overshadowed. The Nationalist Movement Party and People’s Alliance promise it. The existence of any influential force that will stop or hinder Türkiye from being cleared of terrorism is just a dream now. The siege is over, and the regional, global conspiracy has been countered. Terror-free Türkiye is a strong Türkiye that has renewed its national unity and brotherhood,” Bahçeli stated.

The MHP leader acknowledged the existence of "those who struggled to adapt to the new normal.”

"Within this context, some cheap and absurd accusations circulating are not so much about adaptation problems but rather about the multifaceted destruction, restriction and damage to a historic opportunity that has been seized. Those who see a Türkiye free of terrorism as contrary to their political and ideological interests are eager to stir up storms in a teacup. Their growing demands and appetites have recently intensified and become widespread,” he said about critics of the initiative.

"Narrow-minded individuals who thrive on the status quo, dependent factions longing for tutelage, so-called nationalists with unclear loyalties, vile circles investing in lies and gossip, and collaborators eager to serve imperialism and Zionism have collectively united to undermine and damage the vision of a terror-free Türkiye. Those who cannot comprehend, let alone articulate, the complex web of regional dynamics and global equations – issues that have grown increasingly serious and multifaceted – naturally lack the will and their claims are meaningless,” he said.

Commenting on the Good Party's (IP) refusal to join the committee, Bahçeli said: "The baseless, unjust and shameless criticisms by irresponsible people are unserious and worthless statements,” he said.

The IP joined forces with the Victory Party (ZP) to oppose the initiative, and both parties were founded and populated by former members of the MHP. "Those who once sought to poison and chain the MHP by wearing every mask, plotting every trap, seeking help from anyone and joining disgraceful alliances must especially know that betrayal is inherent in their persons and politics,” Bahçeli said.

Bahçeli emphasized that the CHP’s decision to provide members to the commission starting work in Parliament is a valuable step and added, "Insisting on preconditions that would derail the process is just as meaningless and illogical,” referring to the party’s set of conditions prior to joining the committee, especially for the release of politicians linked to the PKK convicted of terror charges.

"Türkiye will permanently overcome the scourge of terrorism. Taking a supportive and appropriate stance – one that facilitates rather than complicates, embraces the dignity and sentiments of our nation rather than avoiding compromise – is undoubtedly a great need for constructive and supportive political posture," Bahçeli stated.

MHP Deputy Chair Feti Yıldız, a member of the committee, told the first meeting that the new initiative was not a new version of the reconciliation process. "It will not be repeated and revived,” Yıldız said. "We have a great opportunity and we should not squander it. We have to try to understand each other instead of attacking the reputation of each other. We need a stance that is not hostile to other political parties,” Yıldız said.

The Istanbul lawmaker for MHP stated that the committee had a responsibility toward innocent people who paid a heavy price due to terrorism, "from our troops and police to teachers, all martyrs and veterans.” Yıldız said Türkiye has been very successful in maintaining the process as political parties did not seek assistance from elsewhere, "in the Middle East, where all kinds of intrigue are taking place.”

The DEM Party’s deputy parliamentary group chair, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, told the meeting that they were aware of the "historic responsibility” at the committee and pledged that they would be constructive and solution-oriented. "All citizens of Türkiye need a new beginning,” the DEM Party lawmaker Meral Danış Beştaş told the meeting.