Erdoğan says ‘terror-free Türkiye’ bill to reach parliament soon

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said a legal package tied to the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative would be submitted to parliament in the coming days, pledging to carry the process forward with the support of political parties.

“We will submit the legislation we are working on to parliament in the coming days,” Erdoğan said following a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

“When the process reaches its goal, all 86 million people will benefit.”

The initiative seeks the complete disarmament and dissolution of PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

Erdoğan said the People’s Alliance would work with parties that place national issues above political interests to bring the process to completion.

He argued that ending terrorism would also remove a major burden on Türkiye’s economy, putting its average annual cost at more than $50 billion and tax losses at nearly $123 billion.

Turning to regional developments, Erdoğan accused the Israeli government of destabilizing the region and violating international law in the Palestinian territories.

He said the wider conflict had disrupted global oil supplies and driven up prices for natural gas, fertilizer, diesel and petrochemical products.

Despite the regional turmoil, Türkiye’s economy remained resilient, Erdoğan said, adding that the government was seeking to limit the effects of war-related costs on the public.

He said a 1 trillion-lira support package had been introduced for production, investment, exports and employment.

The measures included raising the daily rediscount credit limit for exporters from 4.5 billion to 5 billion liras, expanding subsidized investment loans from 500 billion to 750 billion liras and providing an additional 250 billion liras in favorable financing for manufacturers.

Erdoğan also said the accommodation tax had been cut from 2 percent to 1 percent.

The government will introduce a 3,500-lira per-worker support scheme for licensed tourism establishments and provide an additional 60 billion liras in Treasury-backed financing, he added.

On the wildfires affecting several parts of the country, Erdoğan said operations were continuing in Muğla, Balıkesir, Antalya and Çanakkale.

A total of 3,210 personnel, 21 firefighting planes, 58 helicopters and 929 ground vehicles were involved in the operations, he said.

Fire crews have responded to 2,873 blazes since the beginning of the year, including 1,011 forest fires and 1,862 fires in non-forest areas.

Erdoğan urged the public not to light fires in open areas, discard glass or cigarette butts in forests or burn stubble.