ISTANBUL

Türkiye has entered into a new era of unity and strength, opening a new chapter in its history, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday following the beginning of the PKK terrorist organization's disarmament ending the 47-year terror campaign. 

"Today marks a new day, a new chapter in history. The doors to a great, strong Türkiye — Century of Türkiye — have been fully opened,” Erdogan said during his Justice and Development (AK) Party's 32nd Consultation and Evaluation Meeting in Ankara.

“Today marks the dawn of a great and powerful Türkiye,” he stressed.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU, convened its congress in May and announced its dissolution, following a February call by its imprisoned ringleader Abdullah Ocalan for an end to the decades-long attacks.

On Friday, a group of 30 PKK terrorists, including 15 women, surrendered and destroyed their weapons in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province on Friday by throwing them into a burning cauldron.

“Yesterday, the group implemented its decision and formally laid down its arms in a ceremony,” the Turkish president said, adding that the 47-year-long scourge of PKK terrorism has hopefully come to an end as of Friday.

He described the terror group’s decision to lay down arms as a victory for Türkiye, stating that Turks, Kurds, Arabs — all 86 million citizens — emerged as winners.

President Erdogan emphasized the historical power of unity among Turks, Kurds, and Arabs, invoking a sweeping image of their collective strength.

“When Turks, Kurds, and Arabs form an alliance, the wind of their horses spreads cool breezes from the Chinese sea to the Adriatic. When we united, no one could compete with us in civilization, art, knowledge, and level of prosperity. If Turks, Kurds, and Arabs are together, united, then Turks exist, Kurds exist, Arabs exist," he said.

Recalling the high cost of division throughout history, Erdogan warned that disunity among Turks, Kurds, and Arabs had repeatedly paved the way for external domination and internal collapse.

“When they separate, divide, and drift apart, defeat, disaster, and sorrow prevail. The Mongol armies mercilessly destroyed Islamic lands because Turks, Kurds, and Arabs were divided. The Crusaders attacked Islamic lands because Turks, Kurds, and Arabs were torn apart. We lost World War I, borders were drawn between us, walls were built. We lost Jerusalem because of division. Whenever we separated, we lost and were defeated. Whenever we allied, we charted the course of history. Today, in Gaza, in Palestine, the most ruthless, cruel, and barbaric genocide in history is being carried out. Why? Because Turks, Kurds, and Arabs cannot come together and form an alliance as they once did throughout history," he added.

Underlining a broader vision of regional unity, Erdogan also said: “Today, the spirit of Malazgirt, the Jerusalem alliance, and the core of the War of Independence are being reshaped."

Addressing the recent "terror-free Türkiye" initiative, the president made clear that the process is not the outcome of any negotiation, bargaining, or give-and-take process.

“The Republic of Türkiye is our shared home, our common roof. All 86 million of us are one, united, and brothers for eternity,” he stressed on the national unity.

He underlined that nearly 10,000 security personnel and around 50,000 civilians have been killed since the PKK launched its terror campaign in 1984.

Next steps for 'terror-free Türkiye'

"We will start discussing the legal requirements of the process under the roof of the Parliament," Erdogan said, adding that the first step of this would be to form an intra-party commission with the ruling AK Party, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Democratic Party (DEM) within the Turkish Parliament to begin discussing the legal requirements of the process, as he outlined the new initiative of dialogue.

Underscoring that they see problems of Kurdish people in Türkiye, Iraq and Syria as their own probems, Erdogan drew attention to the impact of the developments in Türkiye on Iraq, and said: “Our Kurdish brothers and sisters living in peace, calm and security in Syria is indispensable to us as well.”

Referring to US Ambassador to Ankara, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the US Special Representative for Syria, Erdogan noted: “They held meetings and talks in Syria, and the messages conveyed from there were very positive and encouraging for us.”

"We will facilitate the process with care and urgency, without harming anyone, and closely monitor (terror group PKK's) laying down of weapons," Erdogan further added.

Srebrenica genocide, support for Gaza

Erdogan also marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, calling it "one of the most shameful events in recent human history."

He emphasized that Ankara “will continue to stand by Bosnia and our Bosniak brothers under all circumstances to prevent such tragedies from happening again.”

Recalling the massacre of 8,372 people in Srebrenica “brutally killed before the eyes of the West,” Erdogan said prayers were also with the people of Gaza who have “been subjected to genocide for 22 months,” reaffirming Türkiye’s support for their “honorable struggle against oppression and occupation.”