Politics
Law on PKK dissolution spurs Turkish democracy with record vote
Parliament was almost full in the early hours of Tuesday as lawmakers voted on a law for the dissolution of the PKK terrorist group, with a rare record of 467 submitting a “yes.”
The General Assembly convened for a lengthy deliberation early Monday with almost all lawmakers attending the session on the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Cohesion.
The law brings deferral for prosecution and sentencing of members of the terrorist group, which agreed to dissolve itself in 2025. It had its fair share of detractors in the ranks of the opposition parties, and the vote also laid bare the divide even within parties. Still, the consensus was almost unprecedented in the session of the 600-seat Parliament.
“What is particularly important here is establishing a sound and sustainable balance between security and freedom, public order and democratic politics, and the security of the state and citizens’ sense of belonging,” Zakir Avşar, a professor from Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, told Daily Sabah.
The adoption of the legislation alone will not determine the outcome of the process, Avşar said, stressing that its implementation will be the critical factor in determining whether the initiative succeeds.
According to the expert, the next phase should remain firmly grounded in the rule of law, while maintaining coordination among state institutions and safeguarding public order. Clear, measured and transparent communication will also be essential to maintaining public confidence and securing broader social support for the process.
Only the Good Party (IP), which has long conditioned itself to reject any move to end PKK terrorism, claimed that the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which gave birth to the law, was a concession to the terrorist group. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) that proposed the law cast 268 “yes” votes while 44 lawmakers from its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) approved the law.
Avşar also cautioned against reducing the “terror-free Türkiye initiative” to partisan politics or short-term political debates.
While describing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the driving force behind the vision and the AK Party as the political actor that has spearheaded the initiative, he argued that permanently ending terrorism should ultimately be regarded as a national achievement rather than a victory for any single political party or group.
“The success of this process should therefore be measured not by the political advantage it provides to one side over another, but by its contribution to Türkiye’s common future.”
A total of 35 lawmakers from the main opposition New Party voted in favor of the law while 55 lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which is linked to the PKK, also voted yes. Twenty-nine lawmakers of the former main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) voted in favor. Similarly, the New Path Party cast 16 votes in favor.
Opposition divided over bill
The bill was also the first real test of the unity of the New Party, which was established last month by former CHP Chair Özgür Özel, who was ousted from his party over allegations of vote-buying. Özel announced he would vote yes hours before the session, but YP lawmakers overwhelmingly opposed the law. Almost every lawmaker from the party announced within hours in their social media posts that they would vote against the law, leaving Özel and a bunch of his deputies alone at the “yes” camp.
Avşar said differing positions within the opposition should ideally be viewed as competing approaches to managing Türkiye’s broader transformation rather than simply as part of a political confrontation. However, he argued that opponents of the process had so far failed to make a convincing case for their position.
Instead, he said, some of the opposition appeared to be seeking to consolidate voters who are skeptical of the initiative and turn those concerns into political advantage.
Despite political disagreements, the expert argued that ending terrorism should be treated as a national objective that transcends party competition.
“The end of terrorism should not be regarded as the success of any single political party, but as a shared achievement of the nation.”
Özel also incurred outrage among supporters, with social media users accusing him of political maneuvering, with messages of “shame on you” piling up. Social media users questioned how Özel was supposed to unite the opposition to the incumbent government with such a wide difference of opinion among the YP’s lawmakers. Supporters of New Path, including local branches of the party, also voiced their opposition to their leader Mahmut Arıkan endorsing the bill.
Avşar added that political actors should focus on strengthening the conditions necessary to permanently end terrorism, while criticism should help ensure that the process remains within the rule of law, upholds democratic standards and takes public sensitivities into account.
The existence of different views is therefore not a problem in itself, he stated. The greater risk would be allowing what he described as a historic opportunity for Türkiye to become overshadowed by short-term political calculations.
Avşar described the process as a historic opportunity to strengthen Türkiye’s capacity for lasting domestic peace, arguing that permanently ending terrorism could have implications far beyond security.
“A terror-free Türkiye would not be a victory for one political camp, but a gain for all of us.”
On Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi will hold a meeting with governors of 81 provinces for coordinating the next stage of the terror-free Türkiye initiative. Interior Ministry said the meeting would focus on monitoring the process at the provincial level, social cohesion of surrendered members of the PKK, and enforcement of public order. Kurtulmuş, who led the parliamentary leg of the initiative, Çiftçi, who oversees law enforcement, will also discuss with governors possible provocations to undermine the process and combatting disinformation.
The law covers most PKK members who will be able to benefit from its advantages only after the National Security Council formally declares that the PKK dissolved itself and abandoned arms. After the declaration, PKK members will have six months to apply. In return, they will have their prosecution postponed for a period between five and ten years, based on the severity of offenses they have committed while they were a member of the PKK. The PKK’s senior cadres and members involved in intentional murder and other violent crimes will be exempt from leniency.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik hailed a law related to the terror-free Türkiye initiative that was approved by Parliament early Tuesday. Çelik told a news conference in Ankara on Tuesday that the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Cohesion established a legal framework for the initiative, which aims to disband the terrorist group PKK.
“Our goal now is a terror-free region,” Çelik, whose party made the landmark proposal for the framework law, said.
The spokesperson praised Parliament’s vote, saying it had done what it should have done on the matter. “Our president set out a clear road map. Terror-free Türkiye is state policy,” he said.
The initiative began informally in 2024, when government ally and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli called on the jailed ringleader of the PKK to order his group to lay down its arms. Over time, the initiative received a positive response at the government level and was subsequently transformed into concrete steps.
Öcalan was allowed to communicate with a political party linked to the terrorist group and, through them, called on the PKK to dissolve itself in February 2025. The PKK agreed and announced its dissolution a few months later.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a series of high-level talks in Tripoli on Tuesday, meeting Libya’s prime minister and his national security adviser as he began a two-day diplomatic visit that will also take him to Benghazi.
Fidan met Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, prime minister of Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), for talks in the Libyan capital.
The two officials first held a one-on-one meeting before talks continued with their respective delegations.
Following the meeting, Fidan held separate talks with Ibrahim Dbeibah, the prime minister’s national security adviser.
Fidan will continue his diplomatic contacts in Tripoli and Benghazi as part of the two-day visit spanning Tuesday and Wednesday.
Fidan arrived in Libya on Tuesday for a two-day visit. The top diplomat’s trip comes one day after the suspected assassination of a senior Libyan intelligence officer serving the eastern-based forces led by Khalifa Haftar, and amid Türkiye’s efforts to promote unity in the North African country.
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed last Friday by Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is the focus of a new campaign by the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate.
The deal, which brings the three countries closer together, made its way onto landmarks in Istanbul and Ankara. Images of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif holding copies of the agreement in an iconic photograph were projected onto highly visible locations across the country, including Istanbul’s Galata Tower. Content about the deal was also displayed on digital screens surrounding Ankara’s landmark Atakule Tower on Sunday night. Istanbul’s July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge was illuminated in the colors of the three countries’ flags.
Landmarks in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad and Saudi cities were also illuminated in the colors of the Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani flags to celebrate the deal, while people formed convoys in Pakistan, waving their country’s flag as well as the flags of Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
The agreement embodies the spirit of alliance among the three countries, which already enjoy close ties. One of its key provisions stipulates that an attack on one of the parties would be deemed an attack on all three and would therefore require a joint response.
The agreement came against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, which has spread across the region, with Iran targeting other countries it views as supportive of the U.S. and disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was set to arrive in Libya on Tuesday for a two-day visit. The top diplomat’s trip comes one day after the suspected assassination of a senior Libyan intelligence officer serving the eastern-based forces led by Khalifa Haftar, and amid Türkiye’s efforts to promote unity in the North African country.
Diplomatic sources said Fidan will hold talks in Tripoli and Benghazi in a bid to strengthen Türkiye-Libya relations in all areas, particularly in the political, commercial, energy, military and defense fields, on the basis of mutual benefit and the longstanding bonds of fraternity between the two countries.
Fidan is expected to emphasize the importance Türkiye attaches to Libya’s stability and note that Türkiye is closely following initiatives by the United States and the United Nations in this context.
During Fidan’s visit, consultations are expected on the contributions Türkiye can make to steps to be taken under Libyan ownership and leadership, based on the priority of achieving lasting peace and preserving calm in Libya, sources said.
As a manifestation of Türkiye’s “One Libya” policy, which makes no distinction between the country’s western, eastern and southern regions, the determination to strengthen ongoing dialogue with Libyan authorities is expected to be emphasized, sources added.
The importance of safeguarding the two countries’ shared rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean in line with a win-win approach is also expected to be underlined, according to diplomatic sources.
Libya remains divided between two rival governments: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and based in Tripoli, which administers western Libya, and a government appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022, currently headed by Osama Hammad and based in Benghazi, which administers the east and most of the south.
For years, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has sought to broker a political settlement leading to elections, which many Libyans hope will end the political divisions and armed conflict that have persisted since the 2011 ouster of Muammar Gaddafi.
Turkish sources said the desire to further develop Türkiye’s existing cooperation with Libya in the energy sector on the basis of mutual benefit and to implement new projects is expected to be expressed during Fidan’s talks.
Fidan is also expected to highlight that the safe and sustainable continuation of the activities of Turkish companies, which have a significant presence in Libya, particularly in the construction sector, will contribute to taking economic and commercial cooperation to a higher level and further deepening it.
An exchange of views is also expected on regional and global developments, particularly the Palestinian issue and the situation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Türkiye-Libya relations
Türkiye and Libya share longstanding historical, cultural and people-to-people ties. Relations between the two countries are being developed in all possible areas on the basis of mutual benefit, with the objective of contributing to the establishment of lasting peace, stability and security in Libya.
In this context, reciprocal high-level visits continue to gain momentum. Most recently, Libya’s Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the margins of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 18, 2026.
Within the framework of its “One Libya” policy, Türkiye gives priority to preserving Libya’s unity, territorial integrity and cohesion, and continues its active efforts to establish lasting stability and preserve calm in Libya.
Based on this approach, Türkiye maintains dialogue with all sides in Libya without distinction between the West, East and South and works together with Libyans to advance relations in all fields.
Türkiye supports U.N. efforts aimed at holding credible, fair and transparent elections in Libya and cooperates with all Libyan stakeholders and the international community.
Türkiye emphasizes the importance of ensuring that steps taken as part of political efforts toward the goal of a prosperous and united Libya, to which the Libyan people aspire, are carried out under Libyan ownership and leadership.
Within the framework of its “One Libya” policy, Türkiye also continues its efforts toward the unification of Libya’s military institutions. The active participation of forces from both western and eastern Libya in the EFES 2026 exercise, held from April 11 to May 21, 2026, constituted a significant step in this direction.
Bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Libya reached approximately $3.5 billion in 2025.
Despite the prevailing fragile conditions, Libya remains an important market for the Turkish private sector. Bilateral economic relations continue to develop across various fields, particularly in the construction sector.
In this context, the 22nd Türkiye-Libya Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting was held in Tripoli on Jan. 24, 2026.
The Turkish contracting sector undertook its first overseas project in Libya in 1972. To date, Turkish companies have undertaken 633 projects in Libya with a total value of $31 billion. In this regard, Libya ranks as the fourth country where Turkish companies have undertaken the largest number of projects.
More than 40 projects undertaken by Turkish companies are currently ongoing in Libya, with a total value exceeding $2.3 billion.
The steadily developing relations between Türkiye and Libya are also creating new opportunities in the energy sector. In February 2026, TPAO was awarded the right to jointly operate two oil fields in Libya in the country’s first licensing round in 17 years. The agreement concerning these fields was signed in Tripoli on June 15, 2026.
Türkiye’s growing regional influence could increase the potential for friction and conflict with Israel, former Israeli National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat said, warning Israeli authorities against complacency as Ankara expands its role across the Middle East.
Speaking to Israel’s Maariv newspaper on Tuesday, Ben-Shabbat argued that Türkiye is taking advantage of shifting regional dynamics to strengthen its position as a leading Middle Eastern power.
He pointed particularly to Syria, saying Türkiye has emerged as a key player in the country following the collapse of the Baath regime and the withdrawal of Iran’s military presence.
“Ankara is further consolidating its position in the region by financing and training the new Syrian army, building energy and transportation infrastructure and through many other moves,” he said.
Ben-Shabbat also highlighted the Aug. 7 Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, arguing that the pact seeks to provide mutual defense and regional stability without complete reliance on Washington.
“It places Türkiye in a position of diplomatic-military leadership,” he noted.
Turning to the Eastern Mediterranean, Ben-Shabbat argued that Türkiye’s objectives under its Blue Homeland doctrine conflict with Israel’s partnerships with Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, as well as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, potentially creating persistent disputes over maritime jurisdiction and sovereignty.
Despite his warnings, Ben-Shabbat said Israel should not view Türkiye and Iran through the same lens, arguing that the two countries have distinct characteristics requiring different approaches.
He also urged Israel to remain cautious toward regional agreements and avoid relying on other actors for its security.
“We must preserve our security margins,” he said, warning that diplomatic agreements could ultimately be reversed.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi met his Bulgarian counterpart, Ivan Demerdzhiev, in Sofia on Tuesday. The two ministers oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the law enforcement academies of the two countries and held a joint news conference.
Çiftçi underlined that the two countries need to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the fight against criminal gangs, as they share a border. “We are not just neighbors. We are also two friends and allies in the same region,” he said at the news conference.
Çiftçi said he discussed areas of cooperation with Demerdzhiev. “One of the primary areas where there is room for greater cooperation is the fight against cross-border crime. Türkiye is currently engaged in a fight against next-generation criminal organizations. They have evolved into next-generation terrorist groups,” he said.
Türkiye has stepped up its crackdown on criminal gangs, particularly those exploiting minors and recruiting them to carry out murders and extortion.
Çiftçi underlined that Türkiye does not view its own security independently from that of its neighbors, stressing that cooperation with Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry is valuable for peace and security in the region.
Pointing to important steps taken with Bulgaria in the fight against next-generation criminal gangs, Çiftçi said: “They have extradited 89 people wanted by our country. Discussions on the extradition of 19 people are ongoing. I believe the necessary assistance and support will also be provided on this matter. On the other hand, as Türkiye, we have extradited 24 people wanted by the Bulgarian authorities.”
Çiftçi also emphasized the importance of combating drugs during Tuesday’s talks. “Cooperation between the two countries in the fight against drugs is extremely important. We value Bulgaria’s support in combating both new-generation crime and drug trafficking. We believe that the steps we take in these areas will serve the interests of both countries. This makes security cooperation between our countries not a matter of choice, but a necessity,” he said.
For his part, Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev praised Türkiye’s efforts in the fight against irregular migration.
He said Çiftçi’s visit was a clear indication of the high level of good-neighborly relations between Bulgaria and Türkiye, noting that these relations are based on “partnership, mutual trust and mutual respect.” He added that he and Çiftçi had discussed numerous issues at both the political and professional levels.
Demerdzhiev said their shared priorities included combating irregular migration, drug trafficking and distribution, human trafficking and smuggling. He added that they also shared the view with Türkiye that crimes committed by young people were an issue that needed to be addressed.
The Bulgarian minister said they had reached an agreement on cooperation in these areas.
Emphasizing that he had informed Çiftçi that Bulgaria would “fight all forms of organized crime without compromise,” Demerdzhiev said they had also discussed the significant amount of capital held in Türkiye and other countries as a result of corrupt activities in Bulgaria. Demerdzhiev said Çiftçi had assured him that Türkiye would assist Bulgaria in combating such crimes, adding that the two sides had also agreed to identify and repatriate assets obtained through illegal means. Demerdzhiev also noted that they had discussed in detail the security and management of their shared border, saying they had identified a number of measures to make the process more efficient.
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