Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş will hold talks this week with political parties in a new drive to advance the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which aims for the dissolution of the terrorist group PKK, which has killed tens of thousands of people across the country since the 1980s.
The talks will precede the establishment of a monitoring committee in Parliament to observe the process, which has been underway since last year.
Before the summer recess, Parliament approved a framework law that provided a legal basis for the initiative, which had been largely informal so far. The law stipulated the establishment of a monitoring committee. Authorities have previously said that, unlike other stages of the initiative, which require verification of full disarmament, the committee would not be bound by confirmation of the process.
Starting this week, Kurtulmuş is expected to hold talks with leaders of parties eligible to form parliamentary groups, including the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the main opposition New Party (YP), government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the PKK-linked Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the New Path coalition of smaller opposition parties. He will also hold talks later with leaders or representatives of opposition parties that have a small number of seats in Parliament. Separately, he will visit Müsavat Dervişoğlu, whose Good Party (IP) refused to join parliamentary work to advance the initiative.
Kurtulmuş had previously stated that the monitoring committee would be established swiftly. During his meetings with political party leaders, he will ask them to nominate members to the committee. The talks will address the committee’s size, how it will operate and what actions it will take on various issues.
In similar processes around the world, particularly in Ireland and Colombia, the United Nations, foreign governments or international civil society organizations have generally been involved in monitoring disarmament steps. This was referred to as a “third eye” ("arbiter"). Türkiye, which developed its own model, did not seek a third-party observer to monitor the process. Kurtulmuş stated that, unlike international examples, Parliament itself would oversee the process as the “third eye,” rather than relying on external actors.
The committee was tasked with monitoring and reporting on activities carried out under the process, making recommendations to relevant institutions and preparing legislative proposals when necessary.
The initiative unofficially began in 2024 following a call by veteran politician Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the MHP. Bahçeli suggested that the PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, order the group to lay down its arms “at Parliament.” Öcalan consented, though he remained in jail, and within months, following a historic call by Öcalan, the PKK agreed to disarm. In return, the Turkish Parliament passed a law in August providing for the deferral of sentencing and prosecution for members of the terrorist group who were not involved in acts of violence. Through the security forces and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Türkiye currently monitors the disarmament process, which began symbolically last year when several PKK members burned their weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq, where the PKK’s senior cadres are based.
The PKK has left four camps in Metina, northern Iraq, Turkish security sources announced last Monday.
This is among the few solid indicators of progress in the initiative and a significant gain in the secretive and highly sensitive process, although the PKK touted it as a bargain with Türkiye. The government rejects any deal in what it portrays as a unilateral initiative. Turkish sources confirmed the veracity of the PKK’s “withdrawal,” but experts argue that it is still the beginning of the end.
Turkish security sources also said last Monday that they expected PKK members to return from abroad to benefit from the law passed by Parliament. Sources said several programs covering education, economic support and other areas would be rolled out to reintegrate PKK members into society, though details remain unclear about what these programs would entail and how receptive the Turkish public would be to former members of the group. Although the reintegration system and deferrals of sentencing and prosecution would cover members not involved in acts of violence, it remains to be seen how PKK members would adapt to a new life after spending years in hiding in the mountains.
Bahçeli recently suggested that Öcalan serve as “a coordinator” in the process and that Türkiye establish a coordination office on Imralı Island, where Öcalan is imprisoned. Authorities have not openly responded to Bahçeli’s call, but media reports suggest that Öcalan would be given greater access to the outside world, though still within the confines of the prison, allowing him to relay his messages to the terrorist group and the wider public more easily.