Türkiye’s landmark initiative to end decades of violence by the PKK terrorist group will probably have the greatest impact on Türkiye’s southeastern and eastern regions, both economically and in terms of security.
Residents of the predominantly Kurdish region, which was terrorized by the PKK and saw children lost to the group’s brainwashing tactics for years, can now see a silver lining in a recently adopted law that will advance the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
The Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Cohesion, passed by Parliament earlier this week, will help nonviolent members of the PKK on the path to reintegration by deferring prosecution and sentencing for many.
Residents in Diyarbakır, the region’s main city, expressed hope that the new law will bring peace as well as prosperity to a region that has lagged behind economically due to a security situation that has deteriorated dramatically since the 1980s.
“I was really very happy. I even applauded (the result) in my own home,” 70-year-old retiree Ali Akdoğan told The Associated Press (AP). “The economy will improve, good things will happen, people will start doing business.
“I believe it will bring peace,” he continued.
Mehmet Kaya, head of the Diyarbakır Chamber of Trade and Industry, welcomed the fact that the legislation was passed with an overwhelming majority. “It signals that violence is ending and the doors of politics are opening,” he said. However, the law alone does not solve the Kurdish issue, and further reforms will be needed, he added.
“If the step taken from now brings sustainable democratization, and social and economic policies develop, which is the expectation, then the region will go through an important phase,” Kaya said.
Hacı Çapan, a Diyarbakır resident, said they hoped “no families will cry again,” referring to victims of terrorism.
Proponents of the terror-free Türkiye initiative, including government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, who first suggested the process in 2024, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, tout it as a way to cement Turkish-Kurdish unity in the face of external threats. The PKK retained a rhetoric of fighting for Kurdish rights as it sought to legitimize its campaign, which was concentrated in southeastern Türkiye and killed a large number of security personnel and civilians.
“It all depends on Bahçeli, Erdoğan and the DEM Party. If they are united on this matter, (terror-free Türkiye) will be achieved,” Çapan told Ihlas News Agency (IHA) on Tuesday.
The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which has intricate links with the PKK, has been a key intermediary in the initiative, relaying messages from the group’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, to the public.
“This country suffered too much, and we hope it won’t have to suffer again. Other countries want us to be like Syria and Iran. If it wasn’t for President Erdoğan and the unity of the Turkish and Kurdish people, it could have been like that,” Çapan said.
Engin Yeşil, chair of Diyarbakır Commerce Exchange, told the Sabah newspaper that the region has been embroiled in conflict for decades and that the new law was very much welcomed by people in the region. “Almost everyone supports the initiative and this law. Its impact will be visible everywhere soon,” he said.
Emine Tuncer, a businessperson based in the eastern province of Batman, told Sabah that the end of the violent campaign was an economic and social turning point for the region.
“A permanent peace environment will provide the security and stability desired by investors. With more investment by the private sector, industry, agriculture, tourism and commerce will rapidly develop,” she said.
