Kurds 'not for sale,' Bahçeli says amid regional tension

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on March 10 criticized international expectations of Kurdish communities' involvement in regional conflicts, framing his remarks against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East.

"My Kurdish brothers are not for sale, they are not for rent, they are not hit men," Bahçeli told MHP lawmakers during a weekly meeting in parliament.

His comments came amid heightened regional volatility following attacks and retaliatory strikes involving the United States, Israel, Iran and neighboring countries. Bahçeli condemned the use of Kurdish forces as tools for external agendas, asserting that “no force should view Kurdish groups as mercenaries or pawns.”

Bahçeli also took aim at U.S. policy rhetoric, responding to recent remarks by former President Donald Trump regarding Kurdish involvement in the conflict. “Kurdish brothers will not engage in mercenary activities for any foreign power,” Bahçeli said.

In addition to his regional foreign policy commentary, Bahçeli addressed security concerns closer to home, referring to two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward Turkish airspace before being intercepted by NATO units. “Türkiye is not a country on which bets will be placed,” he said, calling on all nations to act responsibly.

His speech also touched on broader geopolitical dynamics, with Bahçeli urging the international community to pursue diplomacy and warning against sectarian divisions that he said fuel further instability.