1st step of last phase in terror-free Türkiye process

The Monitoring and Evaluation Committee of the National Solidarity and Integration Coordination Board was established under Law No. 7595 on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration, and entered into force on Aug. 18. The board held its first meeting under the chairmanship of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz on Aug. 24.

The meeting was attended by ministers of justice, foreign affairs, interior and defense, as well as three bureaucrats (heads of the National Intelligence Organization, the secretary general of the Presidency and the National Security Council).

The meeting was the first concrete step taken to eliminate terrorism from the country and the wider region, remove violence from the country’s agenda and consolidate social cohesion. The board outlined a roadmap for its working conditions and discussed means to ensure high-level coordination among state institutions in implementing the legislation. Members of the board also mapped out the administrative procedures and guiding principles for the board’s operations.

In its first meeting, the oversight board steering the terror-free Türkiye initiative took a critical step forward by establishing four specialized subcommittees: the Judicial and Legal Coordination Subcommittee, the Monitoring and Assessment Subcommittee, the Social Cohesion and Integration Subcommittee and the Disarmament and Strategic Coordination Subcommittee.

The first subcommittee will focus on judicial procedures, classifying the files of the surrendered members of the terrorist organization according to their legal status to streamline the workload of the judges and prosecutors overseeing the process. The second subcommittee will handle applications and registrations of those who wish to benefit from the law.

The third subcommittee will manage the social integration and rehabilitation process of the organization’s members who lay down their weapons and return to the country. It is expected that many experts from different state institutions will be assigned to help this committee. The fourth subcommittee will focus on weapons surrender and field verification mechanisms, determining both the timeline and methods for delivery.

The work of these subcommittees will ensure the project’s feasibility through steps taken under the framework law, which are contingent on the decision of the National Security Council verifying that the terrorist organization has laid down its arms. To strengthen social integration nationwide, the board stated that all state institutions will act in full coordination and implement these decisions.

By successfully completing the terror-free Türkiye process and consolidating the domestic front and achieving social cohesion at the national level, Türkiye will be well-positioned to compel other regional actors to contribute to greater regional stability, security and prosperity. Backed by a high level of social and political consensus, the completion of this initiative will greatly contribute to the grand strategy of the Century of Türkiye.

Therefore, the board’s inaugural meeting serves as a promising first step in the final phase of the terror-free Türkiye initiative. This initial gathering of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee is a promising step taken at the highest level, signaling the determination of the government.