October 22, 2024 is now a date that will not be forgotten easily not only for Türkiye but also for the countries in the region. When the Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, said in his speech at the Turkish Grand National Assembly that Abdullah Öcalan, whom he had previously described as a “baby killer” and “terrorist leader” could benefit from his “right to hope” if he disbanded the PKK (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê), everyone was surprised, and people wondered whether something would come of this unexpected statement.
Shortly after his speech on October 22, Bahçeli also named this process: “Türkiye Without Terror.”
We know what happened next. Delegations were formed, meetings were held with Öcalan, and finally, on February 27, Öcalan’s decision for the PKK to dissolve itself was read live on TV. The PKK did not remain indifferent to this call, and convened a congress in the first week of May and declared the organization dissolved. Although everything up to this point may seem “too good to be true,” it is crucial to consider the next steps.
Cautious optimism and regional support
Former HDP Chairman Mithat Sancar rightly emphasized in a speech he made in January that if this process fails, we will not even be able to find the ground we have today and that all hope for a solution will be lost. Last week, I had various meetings with the highest-level Kurdish politicians in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq. Everyone from President Nechirvan Barzani to Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani had a positive approach to the process. While KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) Chairman Massoud Barzani said, “We are ready to do our best to achieve a peaceful solution,” Qubad Talabani expressed his hope that relations with Sulaymaniyah would be revived with the dissolution of the organization.
There is a positive atmosphere towards peace process in Türkiye. Unlike in 2013, the main opposition party CHP (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) also supports the process. Of course, the most important support belongs to Bahçeli. Bahçeli was against the previous resolution process talks and harsh nationalism was the strongest obstacle to the solution. This time, the roles have changed, Bahceli is the one who started the process. No other name than Bahçeli could calm the nationalists in such a process. A positive approach to the process is also evident in the outside world, especially in the KRG. Still, there are urgent steps that need to be taken and the authority of the process depends on them. It is absolutely necessary to turn peace into a permanent solution.
Otherwise, if the process is left open to provocations, a very undesirable situation may be encountered. Despite all the positive atmosphere, this risk still exists.
Disarmament must not be delayed
There are many elements of the resolution process, and these have been addressed in many places from an academic perspective, so I will not repeat them here. How transitional justice will be provided, where the militants and the leadership will live, and what they will do are issues that need to be addressed separately. But in the process of the PKK’s dissolution decision, all of these are of secondary importance at the moment. The first step that needs to be taken is to lay down arms without wasting any time. The necessary conditions for this need to be provided.
Of course, the disarmament process is also a very complicated process in itself. We know that this process takes sometimes seven to eight years in similar examples. The inventory is unclear; therefore, it may never be fully possible to verify whether all weapons have been handed over without exception. But it is very important to provide the first images of the disarmament. With the disarmament, support for the process will increase both domestically and internationally.
Where the weapons will be deposited, what will happen to the weapons that are deposited, and under whose supervision this process will be carried out are issues that need to be decided as soon as possible. A commission must be established. This commission, which must definitely include the Iraqi central government, the KRG and Türkiye’s security and intelligence officials, can be expanded if deemed necessary.
A chance for regional transformation
If the “Türkiye Without Terror” process can be achieved through cooperation, and I do not even want to think otherwise, its effects will not be limited to Türkiye, but will also spread to the region. “Türkiye Without Terror” is the first big step towards completely cleansing the region from terror. After a while, when permanent peace meets the demand for democracy, it can break out of this spiral of violence and hatred that has allowed structures like ISIS to emerge.
There will be those who want to undermine the process both within Türkiye and internationally. Their focus will be on those who try to use the solution as a synonym for “treason”, especially within Türkiye. What should not be forgotten here is that taking big steps will resolve these relatively small conflicts on their own over time. Therefore, laying down arms in a ceremony in front of a commission is the most important step that should not be delayed. Small problems will resolve themselves as big successes are achieved.
“Türkiye Without Terror” can be the key to a “Region Without Terror”. Everyone should do their part so that this opportunity will not be missed.
* Bilgehan Uçak is a political analyst and author.