Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday to thwart attempts to undermine ties among Turks, Kurds and Arabs, reaffirming his commitment to a process aimed at disarming the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK).
Türkiye calls the initiative Terror-Free Türkiye, while the Kurdish side refers to it as the “Peace and Democratic Society Process.” It is based on the PKK’s dissolution and disarmament.
“When this process achieves its goal, the merchants of blood, the opportunists who profit from terrorism and the ‘architects of genocide’ seeking to destabilize our country and region will lose,” Erdogan said.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert, where the Seljuks defeated the Byzantines, Erdogan said the process would open the way for a new era.
“Humanity, brotherhood, peace and stability will prevail,” he said.
In what was seen as an indirect message to Israel following last week’s attack on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military airport near the Turkish border and an attack on him by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Erdogan said: “Whatever you do, you will not divert us from our path or prevent Turks, Kurds and Arabs from embracing one another.”
“We know the games you are playing, and we know very well the ‘dirty’ hands reaching into our region. If you have an agenda, we also have an agenda and a plan,” he added.
Separately, the Turkish presidency’s Center for Countering Disinformation said Türkiye had faced a deliberate, foreign-backed psychological campaign in recent days targeting “social unity, brotherhood and peace.”
"No malicious plan or group will achieve its goal, thanks to our nation’s deep wisdom and our state’s firm stance,” the center, which operates under the presidency’s Directorate of Communications, said in a statement.
It urged citizens to remain alert to malicious content, reject posts from unknown sources and rely only on official statements.
Domestic peace process
Erdogan’s pledge to press ahead with the peace process and the presidency’s warnings came as the Monitoring, Evaluation and Coordination Council decided to establish four committees to oversee the PKK’s dissolution and disarmament.
The council held its first meeting under Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and issued a statement late on Monday.
It said the “historic” process — launched to rid Türkiye and the region entirely of terrorism, eliminate violence and weapons, and foster brotherhood — had reached a critical stage.
Parliament’s Aug. 10 adoption of Law No. 7595 on “Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration” reflected the nation’s will and broad political and social consensus, the council said.
Implementation began after Erdogan approved the law on Aug. 18, bringing it into force, it added.
The council described the law as a key pillar of the “Century of Türkiye” vision. It said the legislation would strengthen Türkiye’s internal cohesion and help turn the region into an oasis of peace, prosperity and security amid instability beyond the country’s borders.
