What kind of 'status' does Bahçeli want for the terrorist leader?

The equation of the new opening initiated by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli was: "Let the terrorist leader dissolve the PKK and lay down arms, and let him benefit from the right to hope."

After a process of approximately 1.5 years, even though it was claimed that the terrorist leader had fulfilled the requested condition, the "right to hope" was not included in the report of the PKK commission in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). Furthermore, it was alleged that Erdoğan instructed his staff, "Explain well to the citizens that there will be no special right to hope for an individual."

When the AKP wing did not deny this claim, Bahçeli raised the bar even higher and this time stated that "the founding leadership of the PKK has a status problem" and demanded that "the status gap of İmralı be closed."

Erdoğan's one-sentence response to this demand was: "İmralı is currently being operated by our Ministry of Justice as necessary." In other words, he was talking about the status of the İmralı prison, not the terrorist leader.

There has been no sound from Bahçeli yet, but the DEM wing, pointing out that the issue is the status of the terrorist leader, not the prison, voiced the following delusions:

"We are not talking about just anyone, we are talking about the leader of the PKK. We are talking about a reality that millions of people accept as their leader. We are talking about a sociological, historical, and political reality, a truth that transcends the borders of the Turkish geography. The approach to this truth must also be worthy of and fitting for the effort he has put forth to date."

Presumably Not Making Him a "Pasha"

You may remember the former MHP member Mümtazer Türköne. He was writing for Zaman, attending Abant meetings, leading the first opening, and organizing Kurdish conferences in Erbil.

After July 15, he was arrested for supporting the coup and sentenced to 10 years in prison. While he had been in prison for 4 years, MHP leader Bahçeli recalled that Türköne was the brother of a Nationalist (Ülkücü) martyr and requested that "the accusations against him be clarified through a fair and equitable trial"; a few months later, he was released by the decision of the Court of Cassation.

This same Türköne made the following suggestion in 2009:

"If Turkey is going to solve the problem that is ruining it with this opening, methods such as keeping Öcalan under observation or mandatory residence can be considered. If we look at it from the state's perspective, this is a method of suppressing a rebellion... For this, the state pardons the ringleaders of the rebellion. The Ottoman Empire was a state that suppressed many rebellions. While suppressing a rebellion, it pardons the one who started it, sends them to a very distant province, and then grants them a salary. It also gives them a pasha rank. These are called 'başıbozuk pashas' (irregular pashas). There are 3 types of pashas in the Ottoman Empire: Military pasha, civil pasha, and irregular pasha. So, if you approach it with an Ottoman mindset, Apo could be given a pasha rank... I suggest thinking big like the Ottomans. As for me, I suggest sending him to Bodrum, to Bodrum Türkbükü. Let's say if it were Cevdet Pasha, he would have done that."

In 2011, in addition to the terrorist leader being "kept under surveillance" or "house arrest," he mentioned the President's authority to pardon or commute the sentences of convicts for reasons such as "chronic illness."

In 2013, he said: "We made Öcalan a 'pasha'. Öcalan is now a 'pasha'. He is a man with whom the Republic of Turkey is in contact, negotiating, and through whom it is carrying out a project to suppress a rebellion. This is what I meant by becoming a pasha."

Presumably, what Bahçeli means by "status" for the terrorist leader is not the granting of a "pasha" rank. If so, what could it be?!

What is Hidden in the SDF Agreement?

To understand this, let's look at the developments around us.

It was said that Mazlum Kobani, the "spiritual son" of the terrorist leader who heads the Syrian PKK and is sought by Turkey with a red notice, had reached an agreement with Colani/Shara, and that the SDF/YPG would be integrated into this administration.

However, Mazlum Kobani attended the Munich Security Conference held on February 13-15 and sat at the same table as the US Secretary of State.

How and with what did he go there? With the US telling Syrian Foreign Minister Sheibani to "come together" and on Nechirvan Barzani's plane...

So, did Mazlum Kobani give up on his demand for "autonomy"? He shouted loudly both in Munich and afterwards that they had not given up. Moreover, regarding the so-called integration agreement, which Ankara evaluated as "overcoming an important handicap" and used as a pretext to step on the gas for the internal process, he said, "General articles were announced to the public. But we will announce the entirety of the agreement signed by the Syrian President and myself in the future." This means there are things being kept secret.

Kobani's emphasis regarding the "national conference on Kurdish unity and stance in Rojava," which was held in Qamishli on April 26 with the participation of the so-called "four parts of Kurdistan," was also remarkable:

"In the future, this Kurdish delegation will go to Damascus again to discuss the Kurdish issue. This is clear, important. But more is needed for the Kurds. Kurds need to unite and have a common authority. Kurdish political forces must unite... There must be a leadership that represents the general interests of the Kurds. It could be the PYD, it could be the ENKS, or other parties and individuals."

Ultimately, after the Munich Conference, those who supported the opening said, "There are those who interpret all this as if it were happening without Turkey's knowledge and approval... If he were uncomfortable, what would the MİT Chief be doing at the Munich Security Summit? All that remains is for the suit-wearing SDF to come to Ankara. We will probably see Ilham Ahmed in a position at the Syrian Foreign Ministry in the near future," while DEM co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları demanded the following:

"The diplomacy table should not be set up only in Munich. A diplomacy table with the Kurds, which also includes the self-administration in Syria, must absolutely be set up in Ankara... If an initiative is to be taken for regional peace, a strategic peace treaty must be achieved with the Kurdish people in the four parts of Kurdistan. Peace with the Kurdish people should be conducted strategically, not tactically. It should be in the same framework with the Kurdish people in Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran."

Let's come to Trump, the boss of the PKK and its extensions, who previously attributed the Syrian "success" to Erdoğan. Since he announced last week that he made Shara the president, let's ask, "Does Shara listen to Trump or Erdoğan?"

The Man is Establishing a "Greater Kurdistan"

Who are the Barzanis and Talabanis, who are in the lead roles in the openings in both Turkey and Syria? Let's summarize from an article by a writer in the pro-government media 10 days ago:

"He supports the PKK's removal from Iraq because he sees it as a threat, but he takes the exact opposite position in Syria... He underlines the 'four-part Kurdistan' rhetoric in bold... Barzani has started to create an image of 'leader of the Kurds in the region'... He feels the US army behind him... There is a self-confidence parallel to the 2017 independence referendum; he is reversing the agreement that has been in place for 20 years, and for the first time in these elections, he also wants the Iraqi Presidency... The Talabani administration (especially Bafel) has pursued a hostile policy towards Turkey."

What did the architect of the course of events in Syria, colonial governor Tom Barrack, do a few days ago? First, he met with Masoud Barzani and discussed the Syria and Iraq files. Barzani said that the Presidency office was the "right of Kurdistan." Barrack praised Barzani as a "legendary leadership" and "wonderful wisdom."

Then, with Nechirvan Barzani, he discussed "strengthening relations between the US and Iraq, including the Kurdistan region; the internal political process in Iraq and the delay in forming a government," as well as "the latest developments in Syria, where ceasefires and agreements for the political transition phase regarding Kurds are being advanced under US mediation."

Finally, the colonial governor met with Bafel Talabani and Mazlum Kobani in Sulaymaniyah and put "the latest political and military developments in Syria and Rojava" on the table. During the meeting, Kobani provided information about his contacts at the Munich Conference. Bafel Talabani also stated that "their support for Rojava will continue."

In the meantime, let's note that the decision was made to erect a statue of Senator Lindsey Graham, a sidekick of Trump known for his hostility towards Turkey and support for the PKK/YPG, in Erbil, the capital of the Barzanis, and end this section with this note.

According to a claim also conveyed by a writer in the pro-government media; Mazlum Kobani was going to meet with Kurds living in Munich, but when the instruction came from Qandil, "It is known that many powers want to replace the leadership with another name. Mazlum Abdi holding a meeting with the public right now will strengthen the anti-propaganda against our leadership and lead to him being presented as an alternative to the leadership," this meeting was cancelled!..

The Organization in Iran

Finally, let's report on the US-Israel organization in Iran.

The PKK and parties close to the PKK, which have been divided for a long time, have formed a new political coalition to create a united front against the Iranian administration.

In the declaration published a few days ago by this coalition, called the "Alliance of Iranian Kurdistan Political Forces," the "right of the Kurdish people to self-determination" was emphasized.

In short; it is clear that Barzani is being brought step by step to the "status" of the leader of a "greater Kurdistan" and that the terrorist leader's "spiritual son" Mazlum Kobani is being placed under the protection of this structure.

It is unknown whether Bahçeli brought the "status problem" of the terrorist leader to the agenda in response to this project and whether he wants a "status" such as being declared the "leader/chief negotiator of the Kurds," but while a war has been declared against secularism and secularists within the country, these are the things happening around us that we cannot talk about at all.

Müyesser YILDIZ

February 27, 2026