ANKARA - Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli has proposed the establishment of a "Coordination Office for the Peace Process and Politicization" for the resolving the Kurdish issue. 

 

In a speech to his party’s parliamentary group on Tuesday, Devlet Bahçeli brought up the establishment of a “Coordination Office for the Peace Process and Politicization.” In his speech, Bahçeli explicitly referred to this work and described the commission as central to the further course of the process: “The progress achieved through the commission’s work in parliament, through the contributions of various political parties, through reports, negotiations, and finally through the preparation of legislative regulations is of great importance. In this sense, the commission has undertaken a historic task. Next, political and legal regulations are on the agenda. The necessary legislative activities will be accelerated, proposals will be examined, and draft articles will be collected from all parties. Legislation will be shaped by the will of the nation.”

 

At the same time, Bahçeli warned against political escalation: “We must not fall into the mistake of inciting crowds and thereby polarizing our people. No one should be guided by rhetoric that damages our brotherhood and unity.”

 

In a key section of his speech, Bahçeli addressed the status of the Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and stated that this issue cannot be excluded from the further course of the process. “The symbolic laying down of arms on July 11, 2025, was an important step showing that this historic call has received a response. However, this ceremony alone is not a final outcome. The process will continue.”

 

He continued: “In this context, we consider it important to address the question of Abdullah Öcalan’s status. Pretending that this issue does not exist makes a healthy course of the process impossible. If we want the process to proceed, if we want our call to be binding, then this issue—within the framework of the dissolution of the organization and the laying down of arms by all its elements—must be openly evaluated in legal, political, and moral terms.”

 

At the same time, he emphasized state interests as the benchmark: “When it comes to the security and future of Turkey, we cannot allow room for spontaneous and emotional reactions, for noise on social media, for political polemics, or for unfounded opposition agitation.”

 

Bahçeli proposed a new structure to coordinate the further process. “If there is a status gap regarding Abdullah Öcalan, then it must be handled in a way that serves the Republic of Turkey. Whatever the name of the required mechanism may be, its content must be clear. This mechanism must simultaneously take into account social reconciliation, political normalization, democratic participation, the right to brotherhood, public order, national security, and a peaceful future.”

 

Bahçeli concluded: “To put an end to these discussions, I propose that this mechanism be named the ‘Coordination Office for the Peace Process and Politicization.’ Of course, other alternatives can also be developed. Our expectation is that the founding leader of the PKK will assume a role under an appropriate definition.”