site.btaNext Step in PKK Disarmament Plan: Turkiye's Interior Minister Attends Meeting in Diyarbakir

Turkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya opened a meeting in Diyarbakir on the government's plan to disarm the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), vowing not to yield to provocations in its implementation. His speech was broadcast live on social media.

Diyarbakir, home to one of Turkiye's largest Kurdish communities, is a symbolic region in the conflict with Kurdish separatists. The meeting came three days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent letters to families of those killed in the PKK conflict, outlining the plan's goals and calling for peace, unity and security.

Yerlikaya described the PKK disarmament plan as a path towards regional leadership and a stronger international presence for Turkiye, while criticizing politicians sceptical of its success. He stressed that terror-free Turkiye is not merely a security project; "it is a project for peace, development and the expansion of our brotherhood; it is a civilizational goal".

Warning against attempts to sabotage the process, Yerlikaya described the terror-free Turkiye process as "another national struggle". "The terror-free Turkiye initiative is a national cause. There is absolutely no place in this cause for those who sympathize with terrorists, spread their propaganda, or seek to undermine our brotherhood," he said.

The PKK, considered a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, the EU and the UK, has waged an armed struggle against the Turkish state since 1984, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. In May 2025, the group announced its dissolution, ending its armed campaign. The disarmament process, launched in July 2025, includes a parliamentary commission tasked with legislative proposals expected by the year's end.

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus was appointed chair of the parliamentary National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, formed to oversee the peace and disarmament initiative, signalling the importance Ankara attaches to overcoming terrorism. Its members have already heard from ministers, lawyers, families of the deceased, veterans and representatives of various professional organizations to review progress so far and gather ideas to support the success of the process. By the end of the year, the Turkish Parliament's PKK disarmament commission is expected to propose legislative initiatives.