The AKP meeting in Kızılcahamam district of Ankara has begun. Delivering the opening speech at the camp, AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan referred to the PKK’s first armed actions and said: “Many governments have come to power since that day. Each one said it would eradicate terrorism. But terrorism has not been eliminated either in our lands or in the lands of other countries where it has established bases. Of course, the state’s wrongdoings also played a part in this. The White Toros vehicles were one of them. The unsolved murders were one of them. Diyarbakır Prison was one of them. The villages that were burned down, the people forced to flee in a single night, the mothers who couldn’t speak Kurdish with their children in prison—these were all examples of such wrongful practices. Methods of struggle that were outside the bounds of law and legitimacy did not end terrorism; on the contrary, they fueled it and made it grow, providing the terrorist organization with a fertile ground to exploit. We all paid the price for these mistakes.”
Erdoğan said that the cost of the war to the economy has reached $2 trillion. Referring to the PKK’s decision to disband, he stated, “Yesterday, the organization implemented its decision, particularly by holding a ceremony to lay down its arms. As of yesterday, the 47-year-old scourge of terrorism has, God willing, entered the process of coming to an end. Turkey has begun to close a long, painful, and tearful chapter as of yesterday. Let us not forget that today is a new day. Today, a new page has been opened in history. Today, the doors to a great Turkey, a strong Turkey, and the Turkey of the century have been thrown wide open.”
Erdoğan continued: “You will see us at the forefront of every initiative that is in Turkey’s best interests. You will also see us at the forefront against any initiative that is not in Turkey’s interest. We know exactly what we are doing. No one should be afraid, concerned, or worried. No one should have any doubts. Whatever we do, we do it for Turkey, for our nation, for our independence, and for our future.”
When Turks, Kurds, and Arabs are together, then they exist together. When they drift apart, there is defeat.
Turks and Kurds are embracing each other in friendship. Today, the spirit of Malazgirt and the alliance of Jerusalem are being reshaped. Today, the dawn of a great and powerful Turkey is breaking. The Republic of Turkey is our common home. Now we will sit down and talk… Not with weapons. We will talk face to face, heart to heart. We will establish a commission in the Grand National Assembly and begin discussing the legal requirements of the process under the roof of the Assembly.
I believe that the serious contributions our Assembly will make to the process will be critical for its continuation. I hope that our Assembly will support this beneficial process with the widest possible participation. We will work together as the AK Party, MHP, and DEM delegation to shape this process and carry it forward into the future. During this process, we stood side by side with the late Sırrı Süreyya, Pervin Buldan, and Mithat Sancar. We sat down and talked. Better things are to come. As the AK Party, MHP, and DEM Party, we have decided to walk this path together. We have problems, we are troubled. But by joining hands, we will overcome these obstacles. There is no need to clench our fists anymore. We will run towards anyone who takes a step towards us. But if the waters flow in the opposite direction, we will do what is necessary. When hearts are united, borders disappear. As a first step, we will establish a commission in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and begin discussing the legal requirements of the process. We will act in a manner that does not offend anyone, is sensitive to the nature of the process, and facilitates its swift conclusion. We will closely monitor the surrender of weapons.”
Source: ANF News
