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Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signaled a new roadmap for the “terror-free Türkiye” process and proposed a new role for jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan.
In an interview with Turkish daily Turkgun, Bahceli said a new strategy should be implemented to fully eliminate terrorism and argued that an institutional mechanism is needed to manage the next phase of the process.
“A structure should be built where Ocalan can maintain his influence over the organization instead of being positioned as the founding leader of the dissolved PKK,” Bahceli said.
“The political, legal and social conditions that can make this possible already exist in our country. Indeed, the parliament’s ‘National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission’ has played an important role in this direction,” he added.
Bahceli said fragmentation during the dissolution of armed organizations could create new leadership structures and allow groups to reorganize under different names.
“In this context, clearly defining the counterpart in terror liquidation processes is essential,” he said.
“Equipping Ocalan with a social status while preserving his conviction status would make it possible to manage the dissolution activities and disarmament of the defunct PKK and its components in a healthier way.”
Bahceli proposed establishing what he called a “Peace Process and Politicization Coordination Office.”
According to him, the proposed structure would oversee the full liquidation of the organization and its branches while guiding militants toward political participation.
“This status is defined for the complete liquidation of the organization, together with all its branches and components, following its dissolution,” Bahceli said.
“The coordination office is envisioned to coordinate the absolute disarmament and liquidation of all extensions, leaders and militants of the PKK, prevent disruptions to the ongoing peace process from the organizational side and provide legitimate guidance toward choosing politics instead of weapons.”
Bahceli stressed that the proposed status would remain strictly limited to the organization’s dissolution process.
“Ocalan’s coordinator status would remain limited to the organization’s liquidation process,” he said.
“Therefore, this coordination office would not include issues such as being the leader or representative of Kurds or advocating ethnic and categorical rights.”
The MHP, the junior partner in Türkiye’s ruling coalition alongside Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party), has played an increasingly prominent role in shaping the public narrative around PKK disarmament talks.
Bahceli was the first senior political figure to publicly call on Ocalan in October 2024 to dissolve the PKK.
Ocalan later issued a call in February 2025 for the organization to disarm and dissolve, after which the PKK announced the end of its armed activities in Türkiye and held a symbolic disarmament ceremony.
Bahceli argued that communication gaps had emerged during the process and called for stronger institutional oversight.
“At this point, it is necessary to present a roadmap for the new phase and activate the required mechanisms accordingly,” he said.
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