Kurtulmuş: Turks, Kurds And Other Ethnic Groups Will Move Forward Together

Hurriyet

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Numan Kurtulmuş.

The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Numan Kurtulmuş, said: "In this country, Turks, Kurds, and people from other ethnic groups will continue on their path together, with God's permission." 

Speaking at the Bosphorus Diplomacy Forum, Kurtulmuş said: "In this geography, in our country, we are leaving behind the issue of terrorism, which cost us almost half of the first century of our Republic. We are now leaving behind this process, which has lasted for over 40 years, in which thousands of our people were martyred, tens of thousands were killed, and villages and cities were destroyed and devastated. In this country, Turks, Kurds, and people from other ethnic groups will continue on their path together, with God's permission." 

Kurtulmuş's remarks as Ankara begins working through the practical consequences of the “Strengthening National Unity and Social Integration” law approved by the parliament last week aimed at succeeding the peace process between PKK and the Turkish state.

Kurtulmuş also said: "With God’s permission, you will all see that the people of this region, Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Persians, Sunnis, and Shiites, are united and whole, coming together as solid parts of one ummah. You will all struggle in this process."

"If there is to be a word between us from now on, it will not be a word of separation, a word of division, a word of othering, but a word of brotherhood and unity. And thus, not only within the borders of Türkiye, but also outside the borders of Türkiye, Turks, Kurds, Arabs, and all other elements will continue on their path together,” he added.

"Those beautiful days when we were united and together will be re-established, a strong region will be rebuilt, a region free from terrorism will be rebuilt," he said.

On 10 August 2026, the Turkish parliament approved the bill, titled “Strengthening National Unity and Social Integration”, with 468 MPs voting in favour, 88 against and six abstaining.

The law was approved by 468 votes in the 600-seat parliament after securing support from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AK Party, its nationalist MHP allies and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.

The measure is ⁠the most concrete step taken by Ankara in the process since jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the group in February 2025 to disarm and disband. The PKK announced in May 2025 that it would end its armed struggle and break up, with and a group of militants symbolically burned their weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq two months later.

The PKK conflict with the Turkish state has killed more than 40,000 people.

The legislation is intended to address one of the central questions hanging over the peace process: what will happen to thousands of PKK members as the group dismantles its military and organisational structures.

The process began publicly in October 2024 when MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, long known for his hardline ⁠stance against Kurdish militancy, unexpectedly suggested Öcalan could address parliament and announce the PKK's dissolution.

A parliamentary commission established in August 2025 subsequently heard politicians, officials, civil society groups and others before recommending legislation to manage ⁠the disarmament and reintegration process.



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