“This time, we will accomplish it,” Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said on Monday, in reference to the terror-free Türkiye initiative aiming for full dissolution and disarmament of the PKK terrorist group.
Kurtulmuş, who also chairs a parliamentary committee advising on legal steps for implementation of the initiative, said at an event in the eastern province of Adıyaman that Türkiye would “win this time.”
The terror-free Türkiye initiative is the second most tangible attempt to resolve the decades-old terrorism problem that claimed thousands of lives. It was launched last year by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, a veteran nationalist politician who surprised many when he openly reached out to the PKK’s leadership. The terrorist group’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, embraced the idea and his February call to the PKK paved the way for the dissolution of the group. Most recently, the PKK announced it had withdrawn the last remnants of its cadres from Turkish territories.
The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee of Parliament intermittently convenes to discuss the initiative and will soon wrap up work, presenting a report to lawmakers who may take legislative steps for the future of the terrorist group.
Kurtulmuş said certain people were enthusiastic for the “failure” of the initiative. “Regardless of whatever they do, regardless of the provocations they plan, we will accomplish it this time,” the parliamentary speaker said. The terror-free Türkiye initiative has its critics, particularly some far-right groups opposing what they call a “compromise” with the PKK, while Turkish officials often point out the PKK has long been a proxy of imperialist powers seeking to destabilize the region.
“Terrorism has long been a scourge for Türkiye. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives. Cities, towns, villages were evacuated, set on fire, devastated,” Kurtulmuş pointed out.
He stated that the parliamentary committee’s work garnered public support for the initiative. “We will crown this initiative soon with a stage where weapons will go silent and brotherhood will prevail,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has echoed a similar sentiment over the weekend. Erdoğan has stated that they would have more developments regarding the initiative soon, after a meeting with a delegation from the party that plays a key role in the plan. Sezai Temelli, deputy parliamentary group chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), whose delegation met Erdoğan, told a news conference on Monday that they had hopes for further development of the initiative. Temelli called upon the authorities to take “reciprocal steps” after the PKK announced its withdrawal. The PKK and DEM Party expect an improvement in prison conditions for Öcalan and leniency in sentences for those imprisoned for ties to the PKK.
