Kurtulmuş visits Diyarbakır to advance anti-terror push

DİYARBAKIR

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş met with local administrators and civil society representatives in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır on Oct. 17 as part of the government’s "terror-free Türkiye" initiative.

Kurtulmuş was joined in the predominantly Kurdish province by dozens of lawmakers from a parliamentary commission established to oversee the peace initiative.

The visit began with an event at Dicle University, where the delegation met with administrators and academics.

"This time we will succeed, this time peace will prevail, this time tranquility will prevail, this time brotherhood will prevail," Kurtulmuş said in his address. "As Türkiye, we will continue on our path in unity."

Following Friday prayers at Ulu Mosque, the speaker and his delegation met with local shopkeepers and residents before holding talks with Governor Murat Zorluoğlu and Diyarbakır Co-Mayors Serra Bucak and Doğan Hatun.

The main event of the visit was a large meeting attended by hundreds of representatives from non-governmental organizations, aimed at exchanging views and gathering proposals on the peace bid. The day concluded with a concert by the Hatay Civilizations Choir, part of a local cultural festival.

Kurtulmuş chairs the parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, which is reviewing the social, legal and political aspects of the government’s anti-terrorism effort.

Under the project, PKK declared a ceasefire and announced a decision to disarm and dissolve following calls from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan.

In earlier sessions, the commission heard from cabinet members, intelligence officials, labor unions, business associations, legal experts and families of fallen soldiers. The Diyarbakır visit marks the start of the commission’s on-site fieldwork, following the completion of consultations in Ankara.

Lawmakers are expected to propose a package of reforms once their preparations are finalized.

While the possibility of direct talks with Öcalan has been raised, Kurtulmuş said on Sept. 26 that such a meeting was “not currently on the agenda."

"If it were brought to the agenda, the commission would decide by qualified majority, and we would abide by that," he said.