‘Terror-Free Turkey’ Bid Enters A New Stage: Erdoğan

“Turkish politics, as an institution, has gathered both significant energy and great confidence, particularly regarding the steps to be taken from now on. A new phase of this ongoing process will now begin,” Erdoğan told his lawmakers during a weekly meeting in parliament on Feb. 25.

His statement followed the release of an advisory report by a parliamentary commission that includes suggestions to advance the anti-terror bid through legal amendments. Turkey launched the process in late 2024 and was supported by PKK, which decided to dissolve itself and give an end to the armed conflict against Turkey.

Erdoğan referred the report as a road map for the continuation of the process which will be presided over by the Turkish parliament.

“I would like to state frankly that this report, drafted with complete democratic maturity, thorough consultation, and a political consensus rarely seen in our political history, is not only a recommendation but also a historical document,” he said, adding that it constitutes a very valuable signature on Turkey’s shared future and on further strengthening the brotherhood of its 86 million people. 

“[In the new phase] The engine of this process will be our parliament. We, as the ruling People’s Alliance, will have significant responsibility in running this process,” Erdoğan stated. “We will run this new phase of the process in a calm way and achieve our objectives.”

Turkey has come to the brink of becoming a regional and global power and the government will do its best not to miss this historic opportunity, the president suggested.

“We can’t build our shared future, especially on the painful memories that have left a mark on our collective consciousness. We are obliged to cultivate hope and broaden our common ground,” Erdoğan said, expressing his expectation from other parties “to maintain the same democratic, conciliatory, positive and reasonable stance they demonstrated in the commission during their work in parliament.”

"The country has been living in its current location for more than one thousand years and with Kurds, Turks and other ethnic groups together," Erdoğan said, stressing that they will continue to exert efforts to make these lands where brotherhood grows.

In the meantime, upon questions from reporters on Feb. 25, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said that a technical team was formed at the Justice Ministry for legal amendments that would be necessary for the terror-free Turkey project. 

"Our team will provide necessary assistance to our parliament if there would be a demand,” he said.