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Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party sources say the process toward a terror-free Türkiye remains on track and is set to regain momentum in the coming days.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has begun technical preparations for a verification and confirmation mechanism to process terrorist organization PKK members wishing to return to Türkiye, according to Turkish media outlet Türkiye daily's Yucel Kayaoglu.
According to the report, AK Party sources said the process had experienced some slowdown in recent weeks due to the absence of a concrete PKK disarmament action, but insisted it was proceeding according to their own timeline.
"We have been saying from the beginning that this process will advance like a zipper system. Everything is moving step by step. There may be some delay, but we are not talking about an easy process," AK Party sources told Türkiye daily.
"We do not get hung up on what DEM or others say. The interlocutor here is Ocalan. Security units are already discussing every matter with Ocalan for this reason. New developments will come soon," the sources added.
MIT Director Ibrahim Kalin recently made a presentation to AK Party leadership covering how surrendering PKK members would be received, what would happen to their weapons and what legal processes returning members would face.
AK Party leadership also requested recommendations from the security bureaucracy on necessary regulatory steps.
MIT is reported to be conducting technical preparations on both the legal processes and the verification and confirmation mechanism, according to the Türkiye daily. Under the envisioned framework, PKK members wishing to enter Türkiye following the organization's dissolution would be screened through a "verification and confirmation mechanism" established by the security bureaucracy.
Authority over the return of surrendering members would rest with that mechanism.
Türkiye daily reported that some administrative steps that do not require new legislation could be taken in the near term, while full legal arrangements would follow confirmation of disarmament.
The security bureaucracy is also said to have accelerated its contact traffic with both the Qandil leadership and Imrali, where Ocalan is imprisoned, to assess steps that could incentivize the organization's disarmament.
According to the report, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party's (DEM Party) demand that PKK disarmament and legal reforms proceed simultaneously has not found support within the AK Party.
The ruling party reportedly maintains that disarmament must first be confirmed before legislative arrangements are made.
Türkiye daily also reported that a statement by senior PKK figure Murat Karayilan, who said several days ago that "the process has been frozen", drew criticism from both the DEM Party and the Imrali side.
DEM Party officials said they did not wish to use the term "frozen," describing it as contrary to the spirit of the process.
"This process is not one that can simply be frozen. There may be sticking points, but characterizing the current situation as a 'stalling and freezing process' would be an exaggerated approach," DEM officials said, according to the report.
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