Türkiye sets August 5 for first parliamentary meeting on PKK disarmament

The Turkish parliamentary commission tasked with formulating a roadmap for the disarmament of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is set to hold its inaugural meeting on August 5.

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Numan Kurtulmuş, confirmed the date in an official statement, urging full participation from commission members, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

"I invite all members of the commission to its first meeting on August 5," Kurtulmuş said.

The newly established commission will include representatives from all political parties currently holding seats in parliament, ensuring a broad-based approach to one of the country's most sensitive and protracted security issues.

The commission’s primary mandate is to develop a comprehensive legislative framework to support a potential PKK disarmament process. This will involve drafting proposed amendments to Türkiye's anti-terrorism legislation as well as reforms to the Law on the Execution of Penalties.

Sources indicate that the commission is expected to present its preliminary proposals by October, when the Turkish parliament reconvenes for its autumn legislative session. These recommendations are anticipated to include structural reforms aimed at facilitating reintegration mechanisms and legal instruments for a sustainable disarmament process.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since the 1980s, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. 

By Vafa Guliyeva