Türkiye builds its 'greatest achievement' with end of terrorism: Erdoğan
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday that the country is "constructing its greatest achievement" by eliminating terrorism, hailing recent developments as a turning point in Türkiye’s decades-long struggle against armed insurgency.
“With a terror-free Türkiye, we are building our greatest work,” Erdoğan said in a nationally broadcast speech, describing the apparent disbanding of the PKK as a historic opportunity.
He said Türkiye welcomed the move as a "positive step" towards permanent peace in the region, stressing that the intelligence agency MIT would closely monitor the disarmament and dissolution process.
“We are determined to fully liberate our nation from the 40-year terror vortex that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and drained trillions from our resources,” he said. “Those who rely on foreign actors and terror have run out of time.”
Erdoğan highlighted the unity of ethnic groups in Türkiye’s history, calling Malazgirt, Çaldıran, and the conquests of Jerusalem and Istanbul “joint victories” of Turks, Kurds, and Arabs.
“Geography and history have tightly bound Turks, Kurds, and Arabs together. No one should try to separate what is already united,” he added. “We will not fall into the trap of division. We will be the ones who unify, not divide.”
The president said the government remains cautious but optimistic: “We are careful, prepared, and patient—but also hopeful. The period of using terrorism as a tool in our region is over.”
Touching on foreign policy, Erdoğan said he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the presidential complex in Ankara and discussed efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war through “a just peace.”
He also claimed that the global order is shifting, and Türkiye is becoming “a new pole” in the emerging geopolitical landscape.
“Our region is being reshaped with Türkiye at its center. The old order is crumbling, and Türkiye is rapidly assuming its rightful place in the new era,” he said.
“Once we leave terrorism behind completely, Türkiye will be a completely different country. Peace will deepen, and brotherhood will be even stronger,” Erdoğan concluded.
