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The ceasefire and integration agreement reached between the Syrian government and the SDF in northern Syria is expected to give momentum to the "terror-free Türkiye” process, Turkish politicians said Monday.
Members of the parliamentary committee overseeing the process said that once the agreement in Syria is implemented on the ground, decisions related to the initiative could move more quickly.
On Sunday evening, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa announced a ceasefire and an agreement providing for the full integration of the SDF into Syrian state institutions.
The announcement followed a military operation by the Syrian Army, which regained wide areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated violations by the SDF of earlier agreements signed with Damascus nearly a year ago.
The SDF is dominated by the YPG terrorist group, which Türkiye considers the Syrian branch of the PKK.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, convened its congress in May and announced its dissolution following a February call by its imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Ocalan, to end decades-long attacks.
On July 11, a group of 30 PKK terrorists, including 15 women, surrendered and destroyed their weapons in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province by throwing them into a burning cauldron.
As part of the initiative, the Turkish parliament established the National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Committee to evaluate the political and legal aspects of the post-terror era.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus met Monday with coordinating executives of political parties regarding the report to be issued by the commission overseeing the process.
Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy Chairman Yildiz responded to a question about whether developments in Syria would affect the "terror-free Türkiye" process.
“It will be beneficial, if anything. The impact will be positive. Things will become easier. It seemed like an obstacle, but that obstacle appears to have been removed for now,” he said.
Yildiz also said the committee’s work would be completed “this month.”
Murat Emir, deputy group chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a member of the committee, also spoke to reporters before the meeting.
“We are working on it; there are issues we agree on and issues we disagree on. What is important here is to develop a common sense for Türkiye’s peace, democracy, justice, and the rule of law. We are closely following developments in Syria,” he said, adding, “Silencing the guns in the region will always be a positive development for Türkiye.”
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala said the Syria and Türkiye processes were being “carried out simultaneously.”
In a statement shared on social media, Ala said: “Türkiye has successfully carried out a rare process in the world, managing solution efforts simultaneously with on-the-ground realities without allowing terror corridors. This will also be a concrete manifestation of the regional peace and security vision led by Türkiye. This process is a historic window of opportunity that will affect the future of not only Syria but the entire region.”
AK Party Spokesman Omer Celik also shared a statement on social media, saying: “Terror-free Türkiye and a terror-free region are intertwined processes; they cannot be separated. The attempt by the SDF/YPG to assassinate the goal of a ‘terror-free region’ and to derail the goal of 'terror-free Türkiye' was thwarted by the Syrian administration’s counterterrorism operations. The SDF’s ‘coup attempt’ targeting our principle of ‘terror-free Türkiye and a terror-free region’ has been stopped.”
AK Party Deputy Chairman Hasan Basri Yalcin said Türkiye’s expectations had largely been met.
“When you look at the agreement, you see that Türkiye’s expectations have been met to a very large extent,” he said. “As of now, the news is good. The groups coming from Qandil are probably departing at this moment. Thus, the PKK presence in Syria will come to an end. Only the YPG will remain. When each of them individually goes and joins the Syrian army, none of these will remain.”
He added, “We say that the terror-free Türkiye process will proceed in an integrated manner with the terror-free region process. In this geography, the strongest actor—no matter what anyone says—is Türkiye. The Americans tried something despite Türkiye and saw that it did not work. Russia saw it as well; Iran also had to withdraw.”
The commission aims to produce a joint report next week, which will serve as the basis for legislative proposals once it is confirmed that all PKK members have laid down their arms and that the organization, with all its components, no longer poses a threat to Türkiye.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) said it was too early to comment on how developments in Syria would affect the process in Türkiye and said it would issue a statement after internal evaluations.
Imprisoned PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan described developments in Syria as “an attempt to sabotage the process” during a meeting over the weekend with a DEM Party delegation.
Under the agreement announced Sunday evening, the SDF will withdraw its military formations east of the Euphrates River and transfer administrative and security control of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces to the Syrian state.
The deal also provides for the integration of SDF military and security personnel into the Syrian ministries of defense and interior following individual security vetting, and for the transfer of border crossings, oil and gas fields, and civilian institutions to government control.
The Syrian government has intensified efforts to restore security nationwide since the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, after 24 years in power.
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