Defense Minister Yaşar Güler (DHA Photo)
Türkiye’s ongoing effort to eliminate terrorism is its most strategic move for regional and national security, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has said, adding that ending the threat will boost economic development and public welfare.
“The terror-free Türkiye goal... is of highly strategic importance for the future of our country. This historic process aims to make our security achievements permanent and to remove terrorism from the agenda of our country forever,” Güler said at an event in the capital Ankara on Sept. 15.
Under the initiative launched in late 2024 to dismantle the PKK, the group must first hand over its weapons to Iraqi authorities before Türkiye activates a conditional legal mechanism to suspend prosecutions and sentences for eligible members.
Güler said the government is running the process “with great care and without giving any concessions.”
“In line with our target of a terror-free region, which constitutes the regional dimension of our terror-free Türkiye vision, we desire the permanent elimination of terrorist structures beyond our borders and the prevalence of peace and stability in our region,” he stated.
In this context, Türkiye is also closely following the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a PKK-linked structure in Syria, with Syria’s national army in line with an agreement with Damascus.
“With the complete elimination of terrorism inside and in the region, a much wider space for trust, stability, development, and cooperation will emerge,” Güler said, adding that this will further strengthen security conditions and pave the way for social integration and development.
