Expectations that the Framework Law on the Terror-Free Turkey process would take effect in October have shifted to December.
The National Security Council (MGK) did not confirm the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at its Sept. 30 meeting. Such a confirmation is the legal precondition for implementing the law, which parliament adopted on Aug. 10.
The MGK did not deem the steps taken over the past year and a half by the PKK — which announced its dissolution on May 12, 2025 — to be sufficient.
The statement following the MGK meeting noted the steps taken and distance covered toward the objectives of a Terror-Free Turkey and a terror-free region, and said that efforts exerted for the security of neighboring countries and the region, as well as the nation's own territory, will be resolutely sustained.
The first article of the framework law, officially titled the “Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration,” says its provisions only kick in once security institutions verify that the PKK has disbanded and surrendered the weapons and ammunition under its control. This verification must then be confirmed by a decision of the MGK.
Once the MGK's confirmation decision is published in the Official Gazette and thereby enters into force, former PKK members have six months to apply for amnesty.
Depending on the nature of the crime and the severity of the sentence, investigations, prosecutions, and the enforcement of final sentences may be deferred for five or 10 years. A 10-year suspension may be applied for crimes punishable by more than 15 years in prison, and a five-year suspension for those punishable by 15 years or less. This could also pave the way for the release of some people already in jail.
FIDAN GAVE SIGNAL A WEEK PRIOR
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had signaled ten days in advance that the MGK would not issue a finding that the PKK had laid down its arms.
“More than a year has passed since the PKK declared an end to its armed struggle, but concrete steps regarding the surrender of weapons have not materialized so far,” Fidan told NTV on Sept. 19.
Noting that they look at the PKK's actions rather than its declarations, Fidan said that he understood wishes for rapid progress but that the government must act with care and attention.
SYRIA AND IRAQ SCRUTINIZED
The MGK also evaluated the integration into the central governments of Baghdad and Damascus of PKK-affiliated organizations operating in Iraq and Syria, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS). The post-meeting statement indicated that Ankara views developments in both countries favorably.
Fidan likewise said that Syria and Iraq no longer allow their territories to be controlled by the PKK or any other armed organization, and that this helps the Terror-Free Turkey process. “A favorable opportunity has emerged. We hope the PKK makes good use of this opportunity,” Fidan said.
ÖCALAN TO SERVE ON SUBCOMMITTEE
Two days before the MGK meeting, a meeting of the National Solidarity and Integration Coordination Board was held under the chair of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, with the participation of the justice, interior, and defense ministers, the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), and the secretary-general of the MGK.
Set up by the framework law, this temporary board was established to monitor the process and provide assessments for the MGK. It has also formed subcommittees.
These bodies are: the “Subcommittee on Judicial and Legal Affairs,” the “Subcommittee on Monitoring and Assessment,” the “Subcommittee on Social Cohesion and Integration,” and the “Subcommittee on Disarmament and Strategic Coordination.”
PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is behind bars at İmralı Prison, will be assigned a role on the Subcommittee on Disarmament and Strategic Coordination, said Mehmet Uçum, the president’s chief advisor.
Uçum added that this should not be perceived as a privilege, but rather was intended to ensure that Öcalan could more easily carry out his task of dissolving his organization.
PKK INSISTS ON STATUS
Bese Hozat, co-chair of the Executive Council of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the PKK's umbrella organization, said Öcalan is the coordinator of the Peace and Democratic Society Process, the PKK’s term for this latest peace initiative.
Hozat, in a Sept. 29 interview with Medya Haber, said the role should be defined legally.
The process is not limited to laying down arms, she said. Democratization, local democracy, political and legal steps, and a democratic constitutional order must also be part of it, Hozat said.
CALL FOR A NEW START
DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları pointed to October to mark the start of a new phase.
Speaking at her party's Erzurum provincial congress, she said the public was waiting for the framework law to be implemented. Hatimoğulları called for October to become the milestone of a new period in which guns fall silent.
EXPECTATIONS FOR EARLY DECEMBER
A senior DEM Party official familiar with the process told Turkey in Depth that the party had not expected a result from the MGK meeting. The official said the decision would probably come in early December.
The subcommittees formed under the Coordination Board have not yet started work, the official noted and described the work of the subcommittee that will include Öcalan as important. “There is no crisis, but the mechanisms need to function.”
The DEM Party's İmralı delegation also plans to meet officials from the board to receive a briefing, according to the official. The meeting is unlikely to be with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, but another person from the board is expected to brief the delegation.
