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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday expressed hope that the country’s latest progress on the path to a terrorism-free Türkiye would yield lasting results, after a group of PKK terrorists laid down their arms in a symbolic disarmament ceremony.
In a message posted on X, Erdogan said he prayed for success in efforts to ensure “our nation's security, our people's peace and the establishment of lasting peace in our region.”"
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan echoed Erdogan’s remarks, describing the development as a major step toward ending terrorism in Türkiye.
"It is our nation's common hope that this auspicious development will evolve into a process that permanently eliminates terrorism,” Fidan said in a statement on X. He added that Turkish authorities would remain vigilant until the PKK and its affiliated structures “cease to be a threat in the country and region.”
The milestone came during a ceremony in northern Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province, where a group of 30 PKK terrorists — including 15 women — destroyed their weapons by throwing them into a large burning cauldron.
The act follows a May announcement by the PKK terror group declaring its decision to dissolve and end its four-decade-long armed campaign. That declaration came after jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan called for the group’s dissolution in a statement issued in February, urging an end to the conflict and the transition to peaceful political engagement.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union. In its 40-year campaign, the group has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc called Friday “a historic day for Türkiye,” praising the disarmament as a critical milestone on the road to peace.
“We have passed a very historic milestone on the road to a terror-free Türkiye, with the dissolution of the terrorist organization and the laying down of arms,” Tunc said. “Today is a day that will not be forgotten in our history. It is a day when the dagger stabbed into our thousand-year brotherhood was removed and that dagger was burned.”
Türkiye’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said the nation would reach its “Century of Türkiye” goals by reinforcing unity and solidarity in a future free from terrorism.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli expressed satisfaction with the event in a phone call to President Erdogan, commending the destruction of weapons in line with the “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative. According to a statement, both leaders emphasized that the process would continue in a way that strengthens national unity.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Ozgur Ozel also welcomed the development, calling it a common desire of the nation.
“It is our common will that terrorism, which has caused our country to pay a very heavy price, ends forever,” Ozel said in a statement on social media. “We welcome the terrorist organization's symbolic step of laying down arms today.” He added that the CHP rejects all forms of terrorism and violence with historical consistency.
The pro-Kurdish DEM party hailed the disarmament as a “turning point” and a step toward resolving the Kurdish issue through democratic means.
"With the PKK's arms burning ceremony, we are entering a new era for a solution to the Kurdish issue and the construction of a democratic Turkey," the party said in a statement. "We wholeheartedly salute this historic initiative for disarmament and transition to democratic politics by the Group for Peace and Democratic Society."
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