Kosar Osman
A roundtable discussion titled "The PKK Disarmament Process and the Future Stages of Türkiye-Kurdistan Region Relations" took place on Saturday, October 4, 2025, in Erbil. It was co-organized by the Rudaw Research Center and the Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research (SETA). The event was attended by various government officials, political party representatives, and prominent figures from the Kurdistan Region. A delegation from Türkiye, including officials, researchers, and academics, also arrived in Erbil to participate. The attendees shared their perspectives on the peace process. While there were some differences in opinion on specific details, there was unanimous agreement on the broader goal: the people in the region are exhausted by war and long for peace.
Regarding the approach to the peace process, Turkish experts and politicians discussed a methodology specific to Türkiye. They pointed out that in most peace processes, disarmament comes at the final stage, but in Türkiye's case, the process began with disarmament. Poll results regarding public confidence in the process were also presented. According to surveys conducted in Türkiye, initial support for the process was about 30%, but this increased to approximately 75% over a short period. The AKP (Justice and Development Party) and the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) are recognized as the initiators of the process. According to the surveys, 60% of the Republican People's Party (CHP) base also supports it. Furthermore, 91% of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) base supports the process. Despite the İYİ Party's opposition to the process, it is still supported by 43% of its base, making it the only party in the Turkish Parliament that refused to participate in the committee dedicated to the peace process.
Another key point of discussion was the terminology used to describe the process. The Turkish side often refers to the initiative as "A Türkiye without Terrorism," a term that has been criticized by the Kurdish side from the Kurdistan Region. They expressed concerns that the term's association with terrorism and war contradicts the peace and disarmament objectives of the process. The Turkish delegation pointed to the name of their parliamentary committee, the "National Unity, Fraternity, and Democracy Support Committee," as an example of a more appropriate label. They also stated that the name of the process could be modified in future stages, or at least be open for discussion.
The situation in Rojava (Western Kurdistan) and the fate of the PYD (Democratic Union Party) and the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) were important topics during the roundtable. Nearly all participants addressed these issues, emphasizing the sensitivities of both sides. Particularly, the Turkish side raised concerns about certain terms, such as "Northern Kurdistan" and "Southern Kurdistan," while the Kurdish side expressed discomfort with certain terminology used by the Turkish government. One of these terms was "terrorism" in the context of the peace process.
The work of the committee was also discussed. Up to that point (October 4, 2025), the committee had held 13 meetings with various societal groups, listening to their representatives. Turkish officials emphasized that after these meetings, the committee compiles all the proposals and observations, which are then presented to the Turkish Parliament presidency. One of the committee’s tasks is to propose legislative amendments. Once these proposals are submitted to parliament, the presidency puts them to a vote, and if they receive the necessary support, they become law.
Despite differing views on some details, both sides were entirely focused on the ultimate goal of the process: achieving peace. Participants generally considered the roundtable and similar meetings to be important, particularly for allowing the exchange of views and perspectives on the process. They expressed hope that such dialogues would continue.
