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Türkiye will move to take legal steps under its “terror-free Türkiye” initiative once security institutions confirm that the PKK has fully laid down arms and dismantled itself, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Kurtulmuş said determining whether the PKK has truly disarmed is the most critical stage of the initiative, which seeks to end the PKK’s terrorist campaign that has claimed more than 40,000 lives, and to achieve complete disarmament by the end of 2025.
“This determination is not made by the Turkish Parliament. It will be carried out by the National Security Council and relevant institutions, primarily the National Intelligence Organization and the Defense Ministry,” Kurtulmuş said.
He added that after the relevant institutions confirm the PKK’s disarmament on the ground, Parliament will make the necessary legal arrangements.
Under the initiative launched last year, the PKK announced a decision in May to disarm and disband after a call from its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan. In July, a group of PKK terrorists burned their weapons at a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq, and last month the group announced it was withdrawing its forces from Türkiye. A special Parliamentary committee helmed by Kurtulmuş has been working to map out a legislative framework for lasting peace.
Calling the PKK’s delivery of its last weapons a symbolic step, Kurtulmuş cautioned that the deeper causes of terrorism must also be addressed. “If the factors that fuel terrorism are not eliminated, those who donate weapons today will donate more powerful weapons tomorrow,” he said.
“This is not a peace process between Turks and Kurds,” Kurtulmuş stressed. “It is the process of dismantling a terrorist organization. The Republic of Türkiye prioritizes equality among all its citizens. The state has no problem with the identity, language or culture of Kurds. We are all equal and free citizens.”
Since launching its terror campaign in 1984, the PKK claimed to fight for Kurdish rights, including so-called autonomy for the community. The PKK terrorism has also exerted a huge economic and social burden on Türkiye and neighboring countries.
Ending it would boost NATO member Türkiye’s political and economic stability, and ease tensions in Iraq, where the PKK is based, and Syria, where the PKK’s local offshoot YPG has been allied with U.S. forces, much to Ankara’s chagrin.
Returns from Iraq
Kurtulmuş’s remarks came amid reports that Türkiye is preparing a law to let thousands of PKK members return home from hideouts in northern Iraq under the initiative.
So far, the PKK’s disarmament process has been unilateral, although the terrorist group and its supporters have repeatedly called for moves from the state, such as an amnesty for PKK members. Turkish authorities rule out a general amnesty but signalled a leniency may be granted to imprisoned members of the PKK.
The proposed law would protect those returning home but stop short of offering a general amnesty for crimes committed by the terrorists, Reuters reported, citing a senior Middle East official and a source from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which conducts talks with Öcalan.
Some terrorist leaders could be sent to third countries under the plans.
Bringing PKK terrorists and their families home from their bases in mountainous northern Iraq is seen as one of the final hurdles in the terror-free Türkiye process.
The sources disclosed details that have not been previously reported, Reuters said, including proposals for returns to take place in separate waves of civilians and terrorists, and for commanders to be sent to third countries.
The Middle East official, describing the sensitive negotiations on condition of anonymity, said legislation to allow the returns could come before the Turkish Parliament as soon as this month.
Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which has led talks with the PKK, did not immediately comment on the proposal. The PKK did not immediately comment.
According to the senior Middle East official, the proposal now being discussed would see roughly 1,000 civilians and non-combatants return first, followed by about 8,000 terrorists after individual screening.
Beyond that, the official said Türkiye had so far rejected taking back around 1,000 senior and mid-level PKK figures, and wants them relocated to a third country, possibly in Europe.
“Different procedures will apply to different groups of returnees,” the source said, adding that some returning PKK members will likely face investigations and trials. “Otherwise, it will be hard to reach common ground among parties in the (parliamentary) committee.”
Past efforts
Kurtulmuş also rejected comparisons to past peace efforts, emphasizing that the current process is conducted under unified state authority.
“At that time, the influence of FETÖ within the state was immense,” he said, referring to the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), which infiltrated various ranks of the Turkish government over the years to ultimately mount a foiled coup in July 2016.
“Today, the situation is completely different; all institutions carrying out the process are under the command of the political will,” Kurtulmuş assured.
On the possibility of sending a delegation to Imralı, the prison island near Istanbul where Öcalan has been held since 1999, Kurtulmuş said such visits could be held within legal bounds if Parliament and political parties agree.
