ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday welcomed a report by the Turkish parliament that is widely viewed as paving the way for the reintegration of members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) into Turkish society, hailing it as a "path toward peace."
On February 18, Turkish lawmakers approved a report outlining a framework for PKK fighters who renounce violence to rejoin society. The proposal, however, stops short of granting a general amnesty.
The report was endorsed by the Turkish parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee, chaired by parliamentary speaker Numan Kurtulmus since its establishment in early August.
“I welcome the report of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee in the Parliament of Türkiye and regard it as a meaningful step forward on the path toward peace and resolution,” President Barzani said in a statement released by the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
He emphasized that "advancing political dialogue and committing to peaceful solutions are essential to building lasting stability across the region."
“We in the Kurdistan Region have always stood ready to support and cooperate with any effort aimed at resolving outstanding issues peacefully and opening a new chapter of brotherhood and coexistence,” President Barzani added.
He also expressed hope that further parliamentary measures would follow, strengthening mutual trust and bringing long-awaited peace closer to reality.
The PKK agreed last year to lay down its arms after decades of conflict that have left an estimated 50,000 people dead. In addition to Turkey, PKK members are dispersed across the region, including in the Kurdistan Region’s rugged Qandil Mountains and parts of Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the report as a “roadmap” and an “important achievement” that will help accelerate the process. In a statement posted on X shortly after the vote, he praised the parliamentary commission for producing a report “built on consensus.”
Erdogan said parliament would use the document as a basis for discussing legal frameworks to formally disband the PKK, though he did not provide a timeline.
Turkey designates the PKK as a terrorist organization, a classification that carries severe penalties, including lengthy prison sentences and asset freezes for those found to be supporting the group. The imprisonment of the PKK’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, along with other strict measures, has long been viewed as a major obstacle in the peace process.
The report recommends that non-violent acts and expressions of opinion “should not be classified as terrorism” and calls for a “fairer and more equitable approach” to sentencing and potential prisoner releases.
“The law should seek the reintegration of individuals who reject weapons and violence into society,” the report states, while emphasizing that it “should not create a perception of impunity or amnesty.”
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