The PKK terrorist group’s decision to disarm and disband can be valuable if it’s successfully completed, according to Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel.
The Republican People's Party (CHP) has historical consistency regarding the “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, CHP Chair Özel told a private newscaster on Thursday evening.
The PKK declared its dissolution on Monday as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched last year by Devlet Bahçeli, head of government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). It is now required to lay down arms.
“If the initiative succeeds, there willbe no more martyrs, neither Turkish nor Kurdish mothers will cry, and billions will not be spent on weapons for the fight against terrorism,” Özel argued.
The PKK, for decades, exploited the Kurdish community, claiming to fight for their rights and a self-styled Kurdish state in Türkiye. In its statement regarding the dissolution, the PKK claimed that it was time to resolve the issue through democratic politics.
“Where will all this money go then?” Özel said. “Whoever is ruling the country will decide that but when the CHP is ready to rule the country, this money will go to the public and innovation. Why should I not support a terror-free Türkiye? We support terror-free Türkiye and want it to succeed.”
Turkish authorities are currently monitoring the group’s dissolution process and said they would establish a mechanism for the handover of the PKK’s weapons to regional countries. The PKK has a presence in Iraq and Syria, where it has a U.S.-backed offshoot, the YPG.
Designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye and its Western allies, the PKK operates rear bases in northern Iraq, in a region controlled by Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where Türkiye also maintains military bases and often carries out air and ground operations against the terrorists.
The PKK is also present in Syria, where Türkiye has military bases in the north and has since 2016 carried out several ground operations to force the YPG away from its border.
Turkish Defense Ministry sources earlier this week also said there would be no involvement of third parties in the disarmament process. "There will definitely be no U.N. or third parties. The problems in our region should be solved by the regional countries.”
The weapons handover will be overseen by Turkish intelligence officials at locations in Türkiye, Syria and Iraq, who are expected to register the arms and the identity of the fighters in coordination with the Syrian and Iraqi authorities, Turkish media reports said.
"Our intelligence service will follow the process meticulously to ensure the promises are kept," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday.
The sources also stated that they were vigilantly monitoring for provocations that may harm the initiative, “possibly by certain members of the PKK who do not approve of the dissolution and by countries pulling the strings in the group. The Turkish Armed Forces will resolutely continue its efforts to clear areas where the terrorist group may have shelters, land mines and storage for explosives, to ensure that the PKK would not pose a threat to Türkiye any longer.”
