Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli hailed the latest stage in the terror-free Türkiye initiative that he helped conceive in 2024, but pointed out that more needs to be done.
The initiative, which aims to disarm the terrorist group PKK, has largely succeeded so far. It took a new turn last week when a parliamentary committee approved a final report on proposals for new laws and regulations to facilitate the process. The initiative has been unilateral, after the PKK announced it would dissolve itself following a February 2025 call by its jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan. Lawmakers are now expected to discuss amendments to existing laws or implement new ones for the integration of PKK members not involved in acts of terrorism.
Critics of the initiative claim that the PKK would get away with the crimes it committed, and Bahçeli on Tuesday highlighted that authorities should be careful not to create such a perception. “It is precious to have a joint understanding (at the committee) on full dissolution of the PKK, its disarmament and the need for enactment of legal amendments to that extent. It is significant that the parliamentary report emphasized an independent and temporary legal amendment to manage the process, which involves disarmament and its aftermath, along with reinforcement of social integration. We have to have a legal framework that will not succumb to the perception of amnesty and impunity,” Bahçeli stressed.
“The dignity of Turks is the same as Kurds,” he said.
Bahçeli often highlights Turkish-Kurdish unity in the promotion of the terror-free Türkiye initiative. The PKK, for decades, has exploited disadvantaged members of the Kurdish community to recruit members to its cause of establishing a so-called “Kurdistan.”
Addressing the parliamentary group meeting of the MHP, Bahçeli said the terror-free Türkiye goal confirmed the might of the Turkish state and nation and charted the road for a new century of Türkiye with “unwavering unity.” He hailed the fact that Parliament took the highest level of initiative and all political parties except a few acted responsibly on the matter. He said that the committee’s report made up the most important leg of sincere efforts to achieve the goal of a terror-free Türkiye and slammed those criticizing the report.
“The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee took up a historical role and was founded in a democratic, comprehensive way. It broke taboos,” Bahçeli said.
Türkiye tried its hand at resolving the PKK issue as early as the 1990s. Then-President Turgut Özal took the first concrete steps for a new way to resolve the problem and reached out to Iraqi Kurdish leaders viewed as close to the terrorist group. It was a time when the predecessor of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), a key actor in the terror-free Türkiye initiative, first won seats in the Turkish Parliament. Özal favored a “civilian” solution to the problem. He sought to address the problems the PKK exploited to advance its own agenda, such as more rights for Türkiye’s Kurdish community. Özal’s efforts partially paid off when the PKK briefly declared a “cease-fire.” However, several violent terrorist attacks in the same decade and Özal’s death in 1993 hindered this fledgling process that would also reportedly include a general pardon for convicted PKK members. Terrorist attacks continued until Öcalan’s capture in 1999. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the PKK reduced its terrorism campaign before another flare-up in violence.
Starting from 2012, the state launched a new process that was informally called the “reconciliation process.” The process cautiously proceeded, and the government offered expansion of rights for the Kurdish community, especially in education in their own language. The PKK scaled back its activities again, but this process ultimately collapsed too in 2015.
The PKK resumed its campaign and moved attacks from rural parts of the country to urban centers in the southeast, which hosts a predominantly Kurdish population. In response, Türkiye intensified counterterrorism operations and, in the past decade, stepped up aerial strikes and limited cross-border offensives to eradicate terrorists in Türkiye, Iraq and Syria.
The latest initiative, however, has been apparently most transparent in its approach to the issue. The parliamentary committee heard from people from all walks of life affected by terrorism, including families of terrorists themselves and representatives of pro-PKK circles. Bahçeli himself broke the MHP’s own taboos regarding the PKK, openly describing Abdullah Öcalan as “founding leader” of the terrorist group, unlike the harsh words he had for him in the past. Bahçeli, who once called for execution by hanging for Öcalan, was even gifted a rug by the PKK leader, who delivered it to the nationalist leader through a DEM Party delegation.
Bahçeli said on Tuesday that Parliament’s work should not be underestimated. “No one should dare to block our work to reinforce our unity and brotherhood with an environment of peace and calm,” he said.
“Democratization and preservation of rights and freedoms will raise the bar for economic prosperity. In Türkiye, free of terrorism, everyone will benefit. Beyond that, the step-by-step goal of establishing a terror-free zone will surround the country with a belt of peace and brotherhood. As soon as the dissolution of the terrorist group and the laying down of arms are monitored and verified by security and intelligence institutions, and once measurable criteria are clearly established, legal regulations can be implemented swiftly and transparently. Without undermining the sense of justice, tarnishing the memory of the fallen or diminishing the sacrifices of veterans, the reintegration into society of those entering a disarmed period will be carried out in phases,” he said.
Bahçeli also called on the relevant actors to carry out the full dissolution of any PKK-related entities. He said the KCK should also join it, referring to the so-called umbrella body of the PKK founded in 2005 as a self-styled umbrella organization of the PKK and its wings in Syria and Iran.
“The call (of Öcalan) is equally binding for the KCK. The immediate dissolution of the organization’s senior leadership structure must be ensured,” he said.
The MHP leader also urged defining the “status” of Öcalan.
“How will the status issue of the PKK’s founding leadership be addressed to ensure the planned steps and forthcoming regulations are realized? If such a problem exists, and in our view it does, how will it be resolved? How will the status of Imrali, which serves the goal of a terror-free Türkiye, be clarified? This debate should be conducted sincerely and resolved promptly in a manner consistent with reason and conscience,” he said. Imrali is the name of the island prison where Öcalan is incarcerated and used by Bahçeli and other politicians to avoid openly naming Öcalan.
He said that they also needed to rethink the issue of “trustee appointments.” In the past years, municipalities accused of funding the PKK and/or their mayors with links to the terrorist groups, had their assets seized, and mayors were replaced by trustees by courts.
Meeting with Kurtulmuş
Bahçeli on Tuesday also met Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who also serves as head of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee. Kurtulmuş was scheduled to visit leaders of other parties on Tuesday as part of his tour to hear their views on the terror-free initiative.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kurtulmuş said he thanked Bahçeli for his leadership and support in the process.
“This was a historical threshold for Türkiye. It is not completed now, but Parliament undertook its responsibility. Unfortunately, the work to eradicate terrorism in the past was never introduced to Parliament for a variety of reasons. This is the first time that such a committee was founded,” he noted. Kurtulmuş stated that the public feedback on the report has so far been positive.
“(The report) does not represent the view of any single political party. Nor does it reflect the joint position of one or two parties. It was brought forward as the collective work of all parties represented on the commission, put to a vote, and, more importantly, adopted with the support of 47 of 50 lawmakers. The next phase of the process must also be followed with care. The exceptionally mature and democratic approach established under the roof of Parliament must continue so that Türkiye can consign this issue to the dustbin of history once and for all. We must proceed together with the same openness, sincerity and transparency. We expect Parliament to fulfill its responsibilities and to swiftly prepare and finalize the necessary legislation in the General Assembly,” Kurtulmuş said.
DAILYSABAH
About the Author
