Parliamentary panel holds fifth meeting on terrorism problem

ANKARA

An anti-terrorism panel established under the Turkish parliament met for the fifth time on Aug. 20 with the participation of representatives from the civil society organizations, including Saturday Mothers and Peace Mothers initiatives.

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş opened the session of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, where 51 lawmakers from several political parties were present.

“The pains we are suffering for the past 40 years are our common pains. We are not here to compare each other’s sufferings. We are here to build a common future,” Kurtulmuş said.

Saturday Mothers have long gathered in Istanbul to seek accountability for forced disappearances during the 1980s military coup and subsequent state of emergency. Peace Mothers is a group of mothers advocating for coexistence among ethnic groups.

“Our purpose is not to revive the past and the pains from the past. This commission is set to exert efforts for building a common future for all of us,” the speaker said.

The commission reflects all the political parties represented at the parliament, except for the İYİ (Good) Party. It is set to tackle legal, social and political aspects of the government's ongoing "terror-free Türkiye" initiative.

As part of the bid, PKK announced its decision to dissolve and disarm after its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan issued a historic call to the terror group.

The first group of PKK members dropped and burned their weapons during a symbolic ceremony in July in northern Iraq. The disarmament process is expected to continue in the coming period.

The commission convened with relatives of soldiers killed by PKK and veterans during a meeting on Aug. 19.

Representatives of the Turkish War Disabled Veterans, Martyrs' Widows and Orphans Association, the Turkish Veterans and Martyrs' Families Foundation, the Turkish Martyrs' Relatives and Veterans' Solidarity Foundation and the Security Forces Disabled and Martyrs' Families Foundation attended.

The second session featured Diyarbakır Mothers, a group staging sit-in protests demanding the return of children they say were abducted by PKK.