(AA photo)
Top security and government officials will hold a landmark first meeting on Aug. 24 to advance the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” bid and set guidelines for overseeing PKK’s disarmament and dissolution.
The board will be convened under the leadership of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and with the participation of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, Justice Minister Adil Gürlek, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın and National Security Council (MGK) head Okay Memiş.
They will discuss the establishment of sub-committees to tackle different aspects of the process and decide on a road map for advancing the project. In a statement last week, Yılmaz said relevant ministries and institutions have already begun working within their respective areas of responsibility.
According to the reports, one of the sub-committees will monitor and confirm PKK’s disarmament process. It would also decide where and how PKK members will drop their weapons and whether these weapons will be stored or destroyed. This body’s report on the disarmament is expected to play a key role in the board’s final recommendation to the government.
Another sub-committee is set to address judicial issues concerning PKK members who will apply for the postponement of the execution of their sentences. The decision over the postponement will be given by the judges in accordance with individual dossiers.
Türkiye’s parliament approved the 12-article Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration in early August, in a historic development regarding the government-led campaign. The law took effect after it was signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published in the Official Gazette.
Initiated in late 2024 after a landmark call by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, the “terror-free Türkiye” process reached a major turning point in February 2025, when jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan appealed to the terror group to terminate its armed campaign and dissolve its structure.
In response, PKK formally declared its decision to disarm and disband in June 2025, followed a month later by a symbolic weapon-burning ceremony conducted by its members in northern Iraq.
