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Türkiye can draw significant lessons from Ireland’s peace process, the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) Malatya deputy Abdurrahman Babacan said on Monday, touching on Ankara’s terror-free initiative.
Babacan underlined Türkiye’s commitment to a domestic peace and disarmament process following his participation in a two-day workshop on “conflict-free” governance in Dublin, Ireland, organized by the Democratic Development Institute.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Babacan said Türkiye’s main lesson from the Irish experience is the importance of achieving “maximum consensus” while managing the disarmament process through clear administrative, legal and structural frameworks, alongside transitional justice measures.
Babacan said that he informed participants about the terror-free Türkiye process.
Babacan emphasized that it would be inappropriate to compare the situation in Ireland and Türkiye, saying, “We care about Ireland, we care about the ETA example, we care about the Philippines, South Africa, Liberia and Colombia … We care about all of them, but Türkiye is building its own model.”
Babacan emphasized that the Terror-Free Türkiye process would not involve a third party or actor and added that Türkiye would resolve this issue directly through its own internal dynamics.
He said that they conveyed to their counterparts during their meetings that no element that could “assume a third facilitating role” was on their agenda.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally MHP when its leader, Bahçeli, implied that the government should facilitate access to Öcalan so that he could call on the PKK to lay down arms. Bahçeli’s proposal was endorsed by Erdoğan, who had earlier hinted at the initiative with messages of unity between Turks and Kurds. The PKK has long justified its campaign of terrorism as a fight for the rights of Kurds. Both Bahçeli and Erdoğan have 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 group’s disarmament is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
As part of the process, the commission was established to follow up on legal steps. Throughout its tenure, the committee heard statements of stakeholders involved or affected by the initiative, from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which monitors the PKK’s disarmament, to families of terror victims, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), youth and more.
Most recently, it announced that it will soon present a framework to Parliament outlining the steps to follow the PKK’s disarmament.
