Politics
Kurtulmuş says ‘terror-free Türkiye’ passed critical threshold
Speaker of Parliament Numan Kurtulmuş said Türkiye has crossed a “critical threshold” in its effort to achieve a “terror-free Türkiye,” while stressing that further legal reforms, monitoring and political consensus will be needed to complete the process.
Speaking to editors-in-chief at an iftar gathering in Istanbul on Friday, Kurtulmuş said the country has made significant progress but cautioned that the current stage does not mark the end of the effort.
“This was a vital threshold for Türkiye. We have crossed this threshold. But this does not mean that everything is over. A period of intensive work is needed,” he said.
The comments come as a parliamentary commission approved a report setting out a road map for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the PKK terror group. The commission voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve the report, advancing the terror-free process designed to end decades of PKK terrorism.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU, halted attacks last year and said in May it had decided to dissolve itself in response to a February 2025 call by its imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, to end its decades-long attacks.
The parliamentary vote shifts the process to the legislative theater as Ankara advances efforts to end PKK terrorism that began in 1984 and killed more than 40,000 people, sowing discord at home and spreading violence across borders into Iraq and Syria.
Kurtulmuş said the next phase of the initiative depends on armed groups complying with recent calls from Imrali prison where Öcalan has been held since 1999 and taking concrete steps consistent with what he described as a new era. He acknowledged that not all weapons have been surrendered and that some PKK members may have moved elsewhere.
“Determining whether the terrorist organization has fully disbanded and laid down its arms is the responsibility of state security institutions rather than parliament,” Kurtulmuş told journalists.
The parliamentary commission therefore described the current stage as a “critical threshold” and recommended that the executive branch establish a mechanism to monitor developments and report on compliance.
The speaker also called for legal measures outlined in the report to be brought to parliament’s agenda immediately after Ramadan, describing the document as a framework or “touchstone” for future action rather than a binding text.
“The proposals are advisory. Political parties will come together, discuss what can be done and work toward regulations that all parties can support,” he said, emphasizing that the goal is broad consensus rather than passing legislation through a simple parliamentary majority.
Kurtulmuş rejected concerns that references in the report to relations among Turks, Kurds and Arabs could undermine Türkiye’s unitary structure, calling such interpretations a false perception. No proposal has been made to change the state system or territorial integrity, he said, adding that the process is based on social integration and national unity.
Addressing public sentiment, Kurtulmuş said parliament has not conducted its own surveys but is aware of existing research indicating broad support. He pointed to commission hearings where families affected by violence expressed different experiences but shared a common demand.
“What both sides said was: ‘We want to bury the weapons, not our children,’” he said, describing the phrase as the central message of the hearings.
He cautioned that risks remain, including the possibility of provocations or attempts to derail the process, even as public satisfaction appears to be growing.
Separately, Kurtulmuş renewed calls for a new civilian constitution, saying there is broad political agreement that the current charter, drafted after the 1980 military coup, is outdated and no longer sufficient for Türkiye.
He said discussions on additional legal reforms related to the security process, including possible changes to penal regulations, remain at an early stage and will be shaped through negotiations among political parties in the coming period.
Türkiye has made progress in the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK after a parliamentary committee agreed upon the guidelines for Parliament in the terror-free Türkiye initiative earlier this week.
Prior to a debate on the report at Parliament and expected legislative steps, authorities have taken meticulous steps for a smooth process for the initiative, which was first suggested by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in 2024. A report by the Sabah newspaper says that the government is working on a new framework for counterterrorism and disarmament of the PKK, which symbolically began last summer in northern Iraq.
To this extent, the government is preparing to set up a monitoring and verification mechanism for proper confirmation of the disarmament of the terrorist group. The newspaper report says this new mechanism will issue a separate report confirming the full dissolution of the PKK, and that Parliament would not take any legislative step before the confirmation.
Government officials say the initiative builds on years of counterterrorism operations that significantly weakened the PKK’s operational capacity inside Türkiye and across its borders.
Parliamentary work has also focused on legal and institutional preparations for the post-disbandment phase, including frameworks for disarmament monitoring, preventing recruitment and ensuring that any transition process does not undermine public security.
Authorities describe the approach as balancing reconciliation opportunities with strict legal accountability, aiming to prevent the re-emergence of terrorist structures while supporting long-term social stability.
The Sabah report says legislative regulations would not be implemented as long as the PKK held weapons and points out the current “effective remorse” laws in the Turkish Penal Code that offer lenient sentences and, in some cases, no prison term at all, for members of terrorist groups handing over their weapons and collaborating with authorities.
The latest reports show that the PKK has evacuated seven caves it used as shelter in a stretch of land spanning from Turkish territories to the Qandil mountains in Iraq, and the group is believed to control at least 23 other caves it used as hideouts.
Sources speaking to the Sabah newspaper said that although the PKK announced it would dissolve itself last year, in the wake of its jailed ringleader Abdullah Öcalan’s call in February 2025, the dissolution was still not fully realized, and on the contrary, some 2,500 more PKK members had traveled to Qandil, where the senior leadership of the terrorist group lives. Sources say the evacuation of PKK hideouts was suspended in some places due to developments in Syria. The PKK’s Syrian wing, YPG, which has long resisted implementing a deal it signed with Damascus, finally relented last month to integration with the post-Assad Syrian administration, after clashes with Syrian security forces over the past few months. Sources say images of PKK members burning weapons at a ceremony in Iraq’s Sulaimaniyah last year were not followed up and the new mechanism would check whether the PKK has failed to get rid of all the weapons it has.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) will be the final authority in the confirmation of disarmament, thanks to technical reports by its operatives on the field. No further steps will be taken toward the process without MIT’s approval that the group is fully disarmed. Sources say a framework law for the terror-free Türkiye initiative will be discussed after these processes. The framework law will define the monitoring and confirmation mechanism, as well as regulations regarding PKK members not involved in any crimes. It will also define the conditions under which they can be eligible for leniency. After the implementation of the framework law, authorities plan amendments in Turkish Penal Code and counterterrorism laws. The amendments and framework law may involve the return of PKK members to Türkiye from Iraq, where most members of the group live. It will also facilitate the return of PKK-affiliated people from Mahmour and Sinjar, two key camps in Iraq controlled by the PKK. Those returning to Türkiye and confirmed not to have involved in acts of terrorism will be subject to a five-year judiciary control system. The framework law will have temporary validity, most likely for two years, to accelerate the return of PKK members to Türkiye.
Officials have already presented a report on preparations for the terror-free Türkiye plan to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Sabah report said. Erdoğan reportedly instructed subordinates to emphasize to the public that the amendments would not mean a general amnesty for PKK members.
A general was appointed on Saturday as Syria’s presidential envoy to oversee the implementation of the Jan. 29 deal with the U.S.-backed YPG terrorist group, according to state media.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing the Presidency’s media directorate, said Brig. Gen. Ziad al-Ayesh has been assigned to follow up on the accord and facilitate integration under the authority of the Syrian state.
The Presidency said the appointment is intended to enhance the presence of state institutions, remove administrative obstacles, and activate public services in areas covered by the agreement.
Al-Ayesh hails from the village of Arjah al-Jawalah in the countryside of Hassakeh province in northeastern Syria, according to Syrian media outlets. He holds a degree in Sharia from Al-Ouzai University in Lebanon and a master’s degree in business administration from Idlib University in northwestern Syria.
Prior to the fall of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024, al-Ayesh headed civil affairs at the Interior Ministry of the Salvation Government in Idlib.
On Jan. 30, the Syrian government announced that it had reached a “comprehensive agreement” with the YPG aimed at ending division in the country and launching a new phase of integration. It said the deal covering the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli and the integration of military forces complements a previous agreement signed on Jan. 18.
The latest agreement followed a military operation by the Syrian Army in which it regained large areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated YPG violations of a March 2025 accord.
Syrian authorities have taken over management of Qamishli airport as part of an ongoing process to integrate YPG and institutions into the national government, state media reported Saturday.
The SANA news agency, citing the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, said officials had toured the facility on Saturday after assuming control and “discussed mechanisms to restart its operations.”
The head of the authority, Omar al-Husari, said on X that taking over the airport was “an important institutional step in the process of unifying the management of airports under the umbrella of the state.”
YPG had taken over the airport following the fall of longtime dictator Bashar Assad just over a year ago.
While it was not open to civilian flights, Russia had used part of the facility as a base before withdrawing last month.
Qamishli is the only airport in northeastern Syria, and for years served as a lifeline for the region’s residents, particularly during nearly 14 years of civil war beginning in 2011, during which there were regular flights between it and Damascus.
The airport had remained under the government’s control during the war, and continued to receive flights up until Assad’s overthrow.
In November 2019, Russian forces turned the airport into a military base to oversee the implementation of an agreement that followed Türkiye’s large-scale cross-border operations in Syria to drive out the YPG from areas it occupied near the Turkish border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin as Russia’s new ambassador to Türkiye, according to presidential decrees published Friday.
Vershinin’s dismissal as deputy foreign minister and his subsequent appointment as Russian ambassador was made official by presidential decrees posted on the Russian government portal.
His appointment comes five months after former ambassador to Türkiye Alexey Yerkhov was made ambassador to Tashkent by presidential decree on Sept. 5. Russia’s diplomatic mission in Ankara had been led by acting Charge d’Affaires Alexey Ivanov.
In a separate decree, Putin appointed Russia’s ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko deputy foreign minister.
Born in 1954, Vershinin graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1976 and from the Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic academy in 1991.
He held various positions in Russian diplomatic missions in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, serving as ambassador to Algeria from 1999 to 2003.
Since 2004, he held various positions within the Foreign Ministry, while also serving as deputy foreign minister from 2018 until his recent appointment.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Türkiye is not considering a general amnesty for terrorism convicts following the PKK’s dissolution, stressing that any legal steps under the country’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative will not amount to impunity.
In remarks to Hürriyet released Friday, Gürlek said potential legislative changes linked to the new phase of the initiative would be shaped by Parliament and carried out transparently, in line with the rule of law and public sensitivities.
The comments come as a parliamentary commission approved a report setting out a road map for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the PKK terror group. The commission voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve the report, advancing the terror-free process designed to end decades of PKK terrorism.
“Let me be clear: Any possible regulation will not turn into a general amnesty,” Gürlek said. “Such measures will not mean a lack of punishment. The scope will be determined by the Turkish Parliament.”
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU, halted attacks last year and said in May it had decided to dissolve itself in response to a February 2025 call by its imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, to end its decades-long attacks.
The parliamentary vote shifts the process to the legislative theater as Ankara advances efforts to end PKK terrorism that began in 1984 and killed more than 40,000 people, sowing discord at home and spreading violence across borders into Iraq and Syria.
No ‘right to hope’
A prominent issue in the process has been legislation concerning the integration of former PKK members into society.
Under current Turkish law, most prison sentences allow conditional release after a set period. However, Gürlek noted that different rules apply to terrorism-related convictions, particularly aggravated life sentences.
Those whose death sentences were previously commuted to aggravated life imprisonment, or who were convicted of terrorism and received the same penalty, are not eligible for conditional release under existing legislation.
“There is currently no such thing as a ‘right to hope’ for these cases in our legal system,” Gürlek said, referring to discussions about whether long-term prisoners should have a possibility of release after decades, namely Öcalan.
Ankara has repeatedly ruled out any “right to hope” for Öcalan or other terrorists as “nonnegotiable” and incompatible with the objective of a terror-free Türkiye.
Any change on that issue, Gürlek added, would be at the discretion of lawmakers and would be designed around societal needs rather than individual cases.
Officials have repeatedly emphasized that the terror-free Türkiye initiative is intended to eliminate the security threat while preserving justice for victims and preventing any perception of blanket forgiveness for violent crimes.
Broader road map
Government officials say the initiative builds on years of counterterrorism operations that significantly weakened the PKK’s operational capacity inside Türkiye and across its borders.
Parliamentary work has also focused on legal and institutional preparations for the post-disbandment phase, including frameworks for disarmament monitoring, preventing recruitment and ensuring that any transition process does not undermine public security.
Authorities describe the approach as balancing reconciliation opportunities with strict legal accountability, aiming to prevent the re-emergence of terrorist structures while supporting long-term social stability.
While discussions continue on issues such as long-term sentencing frameworks and prison regulations, Gürlek reiterated that the guiding principle will remain accountability.
“This is not about individuals,” he said. “Any step must be shaped by society’s needs and by the goal of ensuring that the process does not suffer harm.”
Officials say further legislative proposals tied to the terror-free Türkiye road map are expected to be debated in Parliament in the coming months.
Lawyer access in terror cases
Gürlek also outlined a separate legal proposal that would allow courts to restrict lawyer-client meetings in prisons in terrorism and organized crime cases under specific conditions.
“No right is unlimited,” he said. If a concrete and serious security risk emerges, such as evidence that meetings are being used to transmit organizational instructions or destroy evidence, courts could impose temporary procedural measures based on judicial decisions.
He said the aim was not to eliminate the right to defense but to prevent abuse.
“While detainees benefit from the presumption of innocence, the legal system cannot ignore situations where lawyer contacts become part of an organizational chain,” Gürlek said.
According to the minister, any restriction would require a judge’s order and concrete findings, and would be limited in duration. He noted that rulings by the European Court of Human Rights recognize that narrowly tailored restrictions in terrorism cases can be lawful when supported by evidence.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday called for greater global and domestic action to address climate change and environmental degradation, highlighting Türkiye’s investments in renewable energy, large-scale afforestation and waste reduction.
Speaking at the launch event of the Cemre Foundation in Istanbul, Erdoğan said the world is facing serious environmental challenges driven by industrial pollution, plastic waste, chemical contaminants and unsustainable consumption patterns.
“Air, water and soil are increasingly affected by rapid pollution, and new threats such as microplastics have become one of the greatest dangers to marine life,” Erdoğan said, noting that a single plastic bottle can remain in the environment for centuries.
He warned that climate change and ecological imbalance are contributing to more frequent floods, storms and extreme weather events that affect both people and ecosystems.
“Environmental awareness must be strengthened, especially among young people,” Erdoğan said, describing environmental protection as essential for national resilience and future prosperity.
National initiatives
Erdoğan said Türkiye has made significant progress in environmental protection over the past two decades, pointing to policies aimed at improving urban air quality, expanding clean energy and increasing green spaces.
According to the president, the share of renewable sources such as wind and solar in Türkiye’s total installed electricity capacity has reached 62%. He added that expanding natural gas infrastructure to all 81 provinces has helped reduce urban air pollution.
Türkiye has also accelerated investments in nuclear energy and electric mobility, including the production of the country’s domestically developed electric vehicle, Togg, as part of broader efforts to reduce emissions.
On afforestation, Erdoğan said more than 7.5 billion saplings have been planted over the past 23 years, placing Türkiye among the leading countries globally in tree planting and among the top in Europe for expanding forest areas.
The government is also developing large public green spaces known as “nation’s gardens,” with 314 projects completed so far covering nearly 39 million square meters, while construction continues on additional sites.
Erdoğan cited earlier environmental initiatives dating back to his tenure as Istanbul mayor, including the rehabilitation of the Golden Horn and the modernization of waste management systems to replace uncontrolled dumping.
Net-zero target, global commitments
The president said Türkiye is continuing efforts to meet its long-term climate goals, including a target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2053. He noted that parliament ratified the Paris Climate Agreement in 2021 and later adopted climate legislation aligned with a green growth strategy.
He also highlighted the Zero Waste Project, led by first lady Emine Erdoğan, which has expanded into an international environmental movement and serves as a framework for many of the country’s environmental policies.
Erdoğan said Türkiye actively participates in international environmental agreements and organizations, adding that environmental protection and disaster preparedness should be approached as nonpartisan priorities.
“Protecting nature is not a political issue,” he said. “Our institutions are open to anyone who wants to contribute to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for our citizens.”
Calling environmental responsibility a matter of long-term survival, Erdoğan said unchecked consumption and growth would ultimately undermine human well-being if natural systems continue to deteriorate.
“We must protect nature as a trust for future generations and work to leave behind a cleaner, more livable Türkiye,” he said.
The COP31 summit in Antalya this November offers a key chance for Türkiye to help turn global climate commitments into concrete projects and real-world action, officials said at a Zero Waste Foundation retreat.
Officials met with the Turkish delegation during a three-day preparatory retreat in Istanbul on Feb. 6-8, organized by the Zero Waste Foundation, to exchange views ahead of COP31. COP31 is this year’s most significant climate summit under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and will take place in Antalya on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast under Türkiye’s presidency and hosting.
Chaired by Samed Ağırbaş, president of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 high-level climate champion, the meeting brought together senior advisers, members of the U.N. Zero Waste Advisory Board, and key COP31 stakeholders to chart a road map to the summit.
Lara van Druten, a member of the U.N. Zero Waste Advisory Board and CEO of the Netherlands-based Waste Transformers, Climate High-Level Champion Neil Khor, special advisor for cities and local governments to the COP31, and COP31 Climate High-Level Champion Marketing, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement special advisor Atif Ikram Butt spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) about their expectations for COP31.
Druten said the retreat gathered diverse perspectives to help ensure COP31 is as effective as possible.
She underscored the link between zero waste and climate change, saying efforts were underway to ensure the issue features prominently on the COP31 agenda.
Highlighting emissions linked to food waste, Druten said at least one-third of all food produced globally is wasted while millions go hungry. Reforming food value chains, she added, could both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and align with COP31 priorities on waste, water and resource management.
Druten also said Ağırbaş’ efforts to unite stakeholders from the private sector and civil society would be among COP31’s key strengths.
Sharing her outlook on COP31’s potential contribution to climate action, Druten said: “There have been many COP summits over the years, and one of their main vulnerabilities has been the difficulty of translating discussions into concrete, scalable projects with meaningful impact, ensuring real change on the ground rather than just talking about it.”
Neil Khor, former chief of staff of U.N.-Habitat, said discussions during the retreat focused on aligning the foundation’s goals with the COP process and identifying ways to support Ağırbaş ahead of COP31.
Having closely followed the COP process during his tenure at U.N.-Habitat, Khor said, “The key element of the process is translating climate policy into action on the ground.”
He added that the foundation aims to collaborate with local stakeholders worldwide to implement climate commitments, with zero waste serving as a driver of both mitigation and adaptation efforts ahead of COP31.
“Antalya is a beautiful city and provides a strong setting to bring together stakeholders, drawing on Türkiye’s long history and tradition of hospitality,” Khor said, referring to the country’s role as host.
Khor noted that while COP summits address issues affecting millions, not everyone can travel to Türkiye. A digital platform to be launched by Ağırbaş, he said, will enable broader participation and allow individuals worldwide to make climate commitments as part of COP31.
He also said Türkiye and Australia were discussing COP31’s agenda, adding: “I think Türkiye has an opportunity in the area of zero waste to bring a new way of thinking, a new way of working that will not only look at the environment from the perspective of nature, but more importantly highlight the philosophy and teachings of first lady Emine Erdoğan, that this is about living and life.”
Bridging north and south
Khor urged cooperation and added: “No matter how strong, large or wealthy a country may be, it cannot tackle this challenge alone.”
Former chief of the Public Advocacy and Communication Section at the U.N. Environment Programme Atif Ikram Butt stressed the need for “the entire global community” to find “common ground and agree that this is the time to turn our commitments and promises into action.”
Saying the world is moving into the decisive implementation phase of the Paris Agreement, a critical period to deliver transformative outcomes and stay aligned with 2030 targets, Butt said, “Türkiye can play a bridging role between North and South at COP31 by bringing parties together to agree on a course to achieve the goals set in Paris.”
Butt added that the COP31 process offers Türkiye an opportunity to showcase its leadership in zero waste at the international level and contribute meaningfully to climate action, given Ağırbaş’s dual role as high-level climate champion and head of the Zero Waste Foundation.
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