Türkiye hopes an upcoming disarmament process will contribute to stability in Iraq and pave the way for broader regional peace as the PKK and its affiliates lay down their arms, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said Tuesday.
Kurtulmuş made the remarks at a joint news conference with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Heybet Halbusi following bilateral and delegation-level talks at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara.
Kurtulmuş said he hoped the disarmament process, expected to begin next month, would help turn Iraq into a region of peace and stability and that the laying down of arms by the PKK and its affiliates would contribute to peace across Syria.
He linked the process to Türkiye’s broader “terror-free Türkiye” and “terror-free region” initiatives, saying countries in the region should strengthen cooperation and overcome divisions that have persisted for more than a century.
“Now, with the terror-free Türkiye process and the terror-free region process, we are bringing our scattered pieces together,” Kurtulmuş noted. “We are uniting.”
He also pointed to what he described as growing momentum in Türkiye-Iraq relations, citing 27 agreements and memorandums signed during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Iraq in 2024 and additional strategic decisions and agreements reached during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zeydi’s visit to Türkiye in July.
Kurtulmuş underlined that the Development Road Project was another key pillar of bilateral and regional cooperation.
The planned transport corridor is intended to strengthen connectivity between Asia and Europe through Iraq and Türkiye while contributing to economic development in both countries and the wider region.
Kurtulmuş said Ankara reiterated its full support for steps needed to advance the project and discussed ways to accelerate its implementation.
He said Türkiye hoped the Development Road would become operational with all its components as soon as possible.
The project, he added, would go beyond economic benefits by connecting communities, cities and cultures under a “win-win” approach.
