Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has said recent developments in Syria mark a “critical threshold” for the government's “terror-free Türkiye" project.
In a message marking his party’s 57th anniversary on Feb. 14, Bahçeli addressed regional security and domestic political priorities.
“The latest developments in Syria constitute a critical threshold for Türkiye's national peace and security, the goal of a 'terror-free Türkiye' and the establishment of regional stability,” Bahçeli said.
He added that building an inclusive political order in Syria free of terrorist organizations and based on a unified state structure would directly support both regional stability and Türkiye’s security interests.
Bahçeli also stressed that the anti-terror objective would benefit the country by strengthening peace and stability, warning that attempts to obstruct the process would work against national interests.
The MHP leader’s comments came amid shifting regional dynamics in Syria and ongoing discussions in Ankara over security policy and counterterrorism efforts.
Momentum behind the initiative increased last year after jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan issued a call that prompted the terror group to begin disarming. A first batch of members publicly destroyed their weapons in July, and the organization later announced it would withdraw from Turkish territory in October.
A cross-party delegation visited Öcalan on the İmralı prison island on Nov. 24, though representatives from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the New Path bloc did not join ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), MHP and Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) members for the visit.
