PKK Disarmament Crucial for Lasting Peace in Türkiye, Region: Parliament Speaker

Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday that a terror-free Türkiye will pave the way for a terror-free region, bringing peace and stability across neighboring countries.

“If we succeed in establishing a Türkiye free of terrorism, undoubtedly, that very day or the next, a terror-free Türkiye will also open the doors to a terror-free Syria,” Kurtulmus told Anadolu, emphasizing that the impact will extend across the entire region, including Iraq, The Caspian Post reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Kurtulmus referred to the process as a "historic responsibility," emphasizing that completing it would be a significant duty fulfilled for future generations, and urged everyone to act within the framework of their political responsibilities.

If the terror-free process succeeds, Kurtulmus asserts that an "atmosphere of tremendous peace" will prevail in the region, with Türkiye strengthening ties with all neighboring countries.

He highlighted that Kurdish communities in Syria, Iraq, and Iran will increasingly turn to Türkiye, and that peace will strengthen economic, cultural, and political ties, accelerating development projects such as Iraq's Development Road Project and speeding up Syria's recovery from civil war devastation.

He emphasized that normalized relations between Türkiye and Syria will boost trade, intellectual, political, and cultural cooperation, bringing significant momentum to both the region and Türkiye.

“The essential point is the elimination of all elements behind terrorism and draining the swamp that breeds it,” Kurtulmus said, adding that the PKK terror organization must accelerate the process of disarming and dissolving itself.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU, convened its congress in May and announced its dissolution, following a February call by its imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Ocalan, for an end to the decades-long attacks.

On July 11, a group of 30 PKK terrorists, including 15 women, surrendered and destroyed their weapons in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province by throwing them into a burning cauldron.