Parliament speaker meets parties to advance anti-terror bid

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş visited the parliamentary groups of political parties. (AA Photo)

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has begun a new series of engagements with political parties for advancing the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” project by the establishment of a monitoring committee at the assembly.

Kurtulmuş visited the parliamentary groups of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and New Path bloc on Nov. 10. His itinerary includes meetings with the officials of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Nov. 11.

The main objective of Kurtulmuş’s initiative is to accomplish ongoing works for the establishment of a monitoring committee under the parliament roof, which will oversee the implementation of the terror-free Türkiye project, in line with the framework law regulating all the aspects of the process.

The committee will have three main tasks: Overseeing implementation of the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration, monitoring PKK’s disarmament and dissolution and working on further legislation if needed.

Launched in late 2024, Türkiye’s anti-terror bid stipulates the full disarmament and dissolution of PKK, ending decades-old terrorism that claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people.

The process was further strengthened and matured after the Turkish parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a comprehensive framework law that tackles political and social aspects of the terror-free Türkiye bid.

In case all the weapons are laid down and the disarmament process is completed, the framework law will take effect and postpone legal procedures against certain members of the terror group for five to 10 years.

In a statement on Nov. 9, Kurtulmuş described the ongoing efforts to end the terror problem in the country as the “Türkiye model,” which could be applied by other countries that face similar problems.