There is no bargaining with the PKK, but there are these 'coincidences'!..

AKP and MHP members continued to explain during their weekend shifts that there is absolutely no "bargaining or give-and-take" in the PKK process, and that "no steps will be taken that would upset our martyrs, their families, and our nation."

For example, Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç, while conveying the message that bans on the Kurdish language are being lifted, said, "We are making a great effort, with all the tools of a state of law, to ensure that a Turkey without terrorism becomes permanent, that this process stands firm, reaches its conclusion, and that our nation takes a step toward a peaceful future, whatever the law requires."

AKP Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Yayman stated that the main agenda of the commission established in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) is the dissolution of the terrorist organization and the laying down of arms, and said that "no steps are being taken that our nation does not know about," "there is no bargaining behind closed doors," and that "the process is proceeding transparently."

MHP Secretary General İsmet Büyükataman also emphasized that Turkey will absolutely not allow a terrorist state on its borders and noted that the "goal of a Turkey without terrorism is by no means a policy of negotiation or surrender."

Messages from the Palace

Then there are the messages from Mehmet Uçum, Chief Advisor to the President and Deputy Chairman of the Legal Policies Board, who determines the agenda with his almost every Sunday column because he is part of the core team shaping the Palace's legal policies.

Uçum, who has mentioned a "transition process law," meaning a law specific to the PKK, several times, repeated this proposal in his column yesterday. He first claimed that with the terrorist leader's "dissolution and laying down of arms" call on February 27, "demands for status have been completely abandoned," "the approach of a single state and a single nation is the backbone of the call," and "the call covers all elements and relations of the PKK in the region, including Syria, and in Europe."

He then reported that with the implemented Turkey model, a "transition process without registration, conditions, or bargaining is targeted." But immediately after, he listed the following:

"In the first phase, the review of certain counter-terrorism measures directed at active and supporting terror elements linked to the PKK... This review being carried out by the relevant units of the executive, including the trustees... The examination of all measures and existing statuses within the judicial process, including detention, by judicial authorities... The commission in the TBMM proposing legal policy to the TBMM regarding the needs of the process... The transition process law to be enacted urgently covering the law of participation and integration into social and economic life, as well as criminal, enforcement, and social law issues..."

The unchangeable demands of the terrorist leader, the PKK, and its political extensions are known; the recognition of Kurdish identity in the Constitution, Kurdish becoming an official language, and the lifting of reservations in the European Charter of Local Self-Government...

Mehmet Uçum, a member of TESEV, founder of the New Constitution Platform, and a member of the "wise people" committee during the previous resolution process, had argued at that time that even a "transition period constitution" should be as follows:

"Citizenship, living with one's mother tongue, freedom of belief and conscience, and decentralization/vertical distribution of power at the supranational and local levels should be regulated with a perspective appropriate to social demands. Regulations based on equal-rights and participatory citizenship that will allow for the solution of problems we have carried from the past to the present and that block our country's path must absolutely be included. Even if it is called a transition period, there should never be unchangeable articles in the constitution to be made, and the coup-plotting constitutional mentality must be completely liquidated."

Let's look at today's Mehmet Uçum.

In his Sunday column on July 13, while arguing that "the need can no longer be met with a constitutional amendment, but only with a new constitution," he asked the questions: "Does the current constitution provide a system suitable for the common vision of individuals and all segments of society? Are the guarantees sufficient in terms of the continuity of the state, nation, and country?"

His comprehensive interview in Habertürk, which he published on September 1 "instead of a Sunday column," was also important. Because he shared his views on topics such as "the status of Kurds, the definition of Turkish citizenship, the teaching of languages other than Turkish, and local government reform."

In this interview, Uçum explained that under Erdoğan's administrations, "with the end of denial and rejection policies, Kurds' identities were recognized, bans on their mother tongues were lifted, and they gained access to academic and cultural rights, regional development, economic prosperity, and social justice opportunities," and then, by saying that some issues could always be evaluated "within the scope of developing and strengthening democracy and a new constitution," he made the following proposals:

- "A more emphatic definition of Turkish citizenship as a legal bond in the constitution, and the inclusion of a provision such as 'Everyone who is legally bound to the Republic of Turkey, regardless of their ethnic identity and religious affiliation, is a Turkish citizen' could be on the agenda."

- "The fact that Turkish is the language of the state, that is, the only official language, and the language of education is certainly not a matter of debate. However, a constitutional provision can be introduced stating that the procedures and principles regarding the teaching of languages other than Turkish will be regulated by law."

- "A local government reform that will support the unitary structure, strengthen local councils regarding local budget drafts and auditing, and increase the center's responsibility in local execution may come to the agenda. However, these are now common issues for the whole society. They will be handled and resolved with common policies, not with separatist approaches."

The Terrorist Leader's Conditions

Let's also look at the requests or conditions of the terrorist leader in İmralı.

During the previous resolution process, he made the following proposals on the subjects of "citizenship definition and language":

"Our constitution accepts all historical cultures as a wealth of Turkey and recognizes the right to develop, freely express, and organize oneself. It is the same in the Spanish Constitution. This definition also solves the citizenship problem and some other problems... No need to count. Three words are enough: Citizenship is a state bond... Friends have again stated in their letters 'Let Kurdish-Turkish people be mentioned in the Constitution,' of course. I am explaining this once again. State membership and nation membership are separate. Citizenship is state membership; there is no ethnicity there. Nation membership is related to ethnicity. Writing ethnic identity directly there brings other debates with it. Like, this was written, that was not written... I take the Ottoman cultural existence as a legacy. This can be as follows: 'Within the framework of Turkey's integrity, we accept the nations inherited from history as wealth.' In addition, there could be a regulation such as 'Regional and social cultures (I mean beliefs, Alevism, etc.) have the right to express, organize, and solidarity.' We can call the society that carries these elements the Turkish nation."

Regarding local governments, he also requested the following:

"There will be legislative power and economic autonomy. The reservations in the Charter of Local Self-Government will be lifted... Our third proposal in the constitution is the recognition of the right to a referendum for regions and cultures on issues that concern them. Actually, this is a kind of autonomy. Now, in many countries, regions determine their own future by going to a referendum in this way. These should be in the constitution; along with this, local government reform should also be carried out. In this way, local councils should have a say in matters such as economy, local security, education, culture, health, etc. This is how education in the mother tongue is solved. If you bring education in the mother tongue and put it at the beginning of the demands, you block it. Whereas, if education in the mother tongue is left to the authority of the local government, you solve it anyway. Let us not give up on Turkish, but we will never give up on our mother tongue."

So, what are the terrorist leader's demands in this new process? Let's refer to those notes reported to belong to the İmralı meetings in May again.

According to the allegations;

"Because Turkey is very afraid of a federation, I deliberately use the expression local democracy instead of autonomy. But this is also autonomy everywhere in the world. Apart from the elected mayor, there is no governor. Local police and local structures are affiliated with the municipality. We will draw such a framework of democracy in Turkey too... There is the Spanish example. He comes to the London municipality by election. Security and everything are affiliated with the mayor's office... Let's give the Scotland example. It has local militia, a national team, and many unique mechanisms," he said...

Stating that for a constitution to exist, "the Kurd must participate as an existing and free person," he noted that if the Parliamentary commission visited him, he would ask the questions, "Is there a Kurd?.. Do you accept them as equal citizens?"...

And also; he requested that a law be enacted only for the PKK this time and said he would propose a "draft law on the dissolution and disarmament of the PKK," and that "jurists could give shape to this"...

For now, except for the ambiguity in the "definition of citizenship," how much parallelism is there between the proposals of the Palace's Chief Advisor Mehmet Uçum and the requests of the terrorist leader, isn't there?..

Since no bargaining is being done, it must be entirely a coincidence!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

September 15, 2025