Turkish parliament adopts historic report on Kurdish issue solution

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

ANKARA, TURKEY — The Turkish Parliament's National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission has adopted a historic joint report outlining a comprehensive roadmap for resolving the decades-long Kurdish issue.

Following a six-month marathon of negotiations that began on August 5, 2025, the commission's final report was approved with the support of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). However, the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) and the Labour Party (EMEP) voted against the document, while CHP MP Türkan Elçi abstained.

Immediately following the vote, the DEM Party released a message from imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, who declared, "Weapons and violence have been abandoned. We will conduct tremendous democratic politics."

Seven pillars of the solution

The approved report, presented by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, is structured around seven key pillars, including "The Historical Roots of Turkish-Kurdish Brotherhood," "Disarmament and Dissolution of the PKK," and "Proposals for Democratization."

Kurtulmuş emphasized that the report is not merely an amnesty arrangement but a reflection of a historical responsibility to strengthen national unity. "Turkey is going through a historic period regarding the terror issue," Kurtulmuş stated. "Securing peace and stability in the region by fortifying Turkey's internal fortress will create new opportunities for both our security and the regional order."

MHP signals new penal code reforms

A significant development during the session came from MHP Vice President Feti Yıldız, a key figure in the alliance. Yıldız described the current Execution Law as a "patchwork" and signaled the need for a new legal arrangement that aligns with rulings from the Constitutional Court (AYM) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

In a statement shared on social media, Yıldız highlighted the critical condition for progress: "The threshold is the verification and confirmation by state security units that the PKK terrorist organization has laid down its arms and dissolved itself." He added that there is a "general consensus" on the necessary legal regulations required for this disarmament process.

DEM Party’s nuanced support and objections

While voting in favor of the report, the DEM Party attached a detailed dissenting opinion (annotation) to the final text. MP Cengiz Çiçek argued that terms like "Terror-free Turkey" and "terror scourge" were inappropriate, instead proposing the term "Peace and Democratic Society Process."

"The Kurdish issue cannot be referred to with the concept of 'terror.' It is a matter of rights and freedoms," Çiçek stated. The party's annotation criticized the report for describing the suffering of the Kurdish people in a "one-sided" manner and objected to the framing of Öcalan's efforts alongside terror terminology.

Öcalan: "We will be a political community"

The message from İmralı Island, where Öcalan has been imprisoned since 1999, marks a definitive shift in the organization's strategy. "Weapons and violence have been abandoned," Öcalan’s statement read. "Our society needs this as much as bread and water. Everything should not be drowned in security. Security politics should prioritize politics, and politics should prioritize security. We will be a political community: A democratic politics community."

He also proposed a "Democratic Union" model for Kurdish unity, clarifying that this does not mean a separate state but rather a comprehensive democratic governance principle.

Opposition voices concerns over implementation

CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir expressed cautious support, noting that while the report is valuable, the ongoing imprisonment of figures like Selahattin Demirtaş and Tayfun Kahraman casts a shadow over the process. "This report must not remain just words on a shelf," Emir warned, calling for immediate legal steps to end the practice of appointing trustees to municipalities.

Meanwhile, TİP MP Ahmet Şık and EMEP MP İskender Bayhan rejected the report, arguing it fails to address the root causes of the Kurdish issue. "This text is not a solution program but a document of escape from political responsibility," Şık asserted, criticizing the report for reducing the issue solely to a matter of terrorism.

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