President Erdogan: PKK disarmament opens doors to Greater Turkiye
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkiye had entered a new phase following the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) decision to disarm and shift toward political participation.
In a speech delivered to a crowd in Ankara, Erdogan estimated that nearly 10,000 Turkish soldiers were killed during the decades-long conflict, with national losses approaching $2 trillion.
'Starting yesterday, the 47-year plague of terrorism has entered its final phase,' he said, cautioning that 'today marks a new beginning and opens the doors to a stronger, greater Turkiye.'
AK Parti 32. İstişare ve Değerlendirme Toplantısı https://t.co/DgMsXZRlgw
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) July 12, 2025
He also reaffirmed a commitment to a 'terror-free Turkiye,' stressing that the country's dignity and sovereignty would not be compromised.
Moreover, Erdogan thanked the Iraqi government and officials in the Kurdistan Region for supporting the peace process, noting that Kurds live not only in Turkiye but also in Iraq and Syria, and that their concerns are shared.
Today's speech followed a symbolic event in northern Iraq, where dozens of PKK fighters burned their weapons inside Jasna cave, located between Dukan district and the city of Al-Sulaymaniyah. The gesture marked the group's first step toward disarmament and a transition from armed struggle to political engagement in Turkiye.
On May 12, the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara, the United States, and the European Union, dissolved itself, ending over four decades of armed conflict that claimed more than 40,000 lives.
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