Speaker begins party tour after parliament's anti-terror report

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has begun a series of visits to political leaders following the delivery of a final report by a commission overseeing the government’s "terror-free Türkiye" initiative.

Kurtulmuş first met Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on Feb. 24.

"I thank the esteemed party leader for his extraordinary support in this process. His guiding and constructive approach has set an example not only for his own party but for all political parties," Kurtulmuş said after the visit, speaking to journalists alongside Bahçeli.

The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission finalized its work on Feb. 18, presenting a 60-page report outlining proposed "democratization" steps and legal reforms under the project. The report received 47 “yes” votes from the 50 commission members present, with two “no” votes and one abstention.

Later in the day, Kurtulmuş is scheduled to meet main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, as well as Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan.

The speaker is also scheduled to visit the New Path bloc on Feb. 25, followed by meetings with officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Momentum behind the initiative increased after jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan issued a call that prompted the terror group to begin disarming. A first batch of members publicly destroyed weapons in July, and PKK later announced it would withdraw from Turkish territory in October.

The İYİ (Good) Party remains the only major political party boycotting the initiative and declined to send representatives to the commission.

During a weekly address to MHP lawmakers in parliament earlier in the day, Bahçeli reiterated that Öcalan’s call for disarmament should apply to all PKK-linked structures, including the umbrella organization Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).

"The dissolution of the organization's top structure must be ensured immediately," he said.

"Since the Feb. 27 call is a democratic threshold that supports and encourages peaceful endeavors, how will the issue of the status of the PKK's founding leadership be addressed?... This discussion should be conducted sincerely, and a conclusion that is in line with reasonable reason and conscience should be reached in a short time."