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The “Century of Türkiye” meetings, organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) nationwide, will conclude with a grand program in Istanbul on Oct. 25, featuring the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to party sources.
The meetings, which have been held in 81 provinces, were concluded with great attention from the people. The final program will be held at Istanbul’s Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center.
AK Party sources said that as a result of the Century of Türkiye meetings, officials concluded that the main agenda of the people is terrorism, the economy and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
The meetings brought together the AK Party’s top officials and ministers with the wider public, opinion leaders, and families of martyrs and veterans of counterterrorism efforts. Türkiye’s new century vision was outlined to the people, covering topics ranging from politics, economy, foreign policy, and defense.
The Century of Türkiye is an ambitious plan consisting of reforms that the party plans to implement in every field, from justice to energy independence, and was unveiled by Erdoğan before the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye in 2023.
While Turkish public opinion welcomed Erdoğan’s stance and efforts regarding Gaza, the people demanded concrete sanctions on Israel for its actions by the international community.
Israel has so far killed nearly 62,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The genocidal military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
The Turkish public and government are major supporters of the Palestinian cause. Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but as the Israeli attacks became more brutal, Ankara has become harsher in its criticism in the past year. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join the genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.
At the Istanbul program, Erdoğan is expected to deliver a comprehensive evaluation of the Century of Türkiye, discuss national production, and address Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts to end the tragedy in Gaza.
Another agenda item of the people was the terror-free Türkiye initiative and the ongoing process about it.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) when its leader, Devlet Bahçeli, implied that the government should facilitate access to the terrorist group PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, so that he could call the PKK to lay down arms. Bahçeli’s proposal was endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had earlier hinted at the initiative with messages of unity between Turks and Kurds. The PKK has long attempted to justify its campaign of terrorism as a fight for the rights of Kurds. Both Bahçeli and Erdoğan repeatedly said that ending terrorism and maintaining unity were essential for Türkiye’s “home front” in the face of Israeli aggression in the region, pointing to the fact that Israel may target Türkiye next as part of its expansionist policies. Öcalan responded positively to Bahçeli’s call and urged the PKK to lay down arms. In July, the PKK started the disarmament process with a ceremony in northern Iraq. The complete disarmament of the group is expected to be concluded by the end of 2025.
The government and MHP portray the initiative as a process beyond politics and seek wider public support. They managed to include several opposition parties in a parliamentary committee that began work in August to tackle the initiative and prepare a road map for legislators in the next stage.
