Ahmet Özer's striking remarks on Bahçeli and Öcalan! 'If the words of the two key actors of the process...'

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli is the architect of the second peace process—which the government calls 'Terror-Free Turkey'—conducted with the DEM Party and Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK. Now, all eyes are on 'legal regulations.'

While no concrete steps have yet been taken regarding the legal regulations frequently brought to the agenda by the DEM Party and supported by the MHP, CHP's Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, who was replaced by a trustee, made striking assessments.

Arguing that legal regulations must be enacted, Özer stated that it is difficult for the process to gain public acceptance without ensuring democratization and trust in the judiciary.

"If the credibility of the words of the two key actors of the process is damaged, the process itself will suffer," said Özer, asking, "However, to date, neither have the requirements of Bahçeli's words been fulfilled, nor has a step been taken in response to the actions Öcalan had his organization take. The public is asking: If this is a state project, and the President and the government support this process, then why are the requirements of these words not being fulfilled?"

Here is Özer's article for Cumhuriyet, titled "The way to successfully emerge from the ring of fire":

"The history of societies and states is hidden in the steps taken or not taken at moments when life and processes become deadlocked; just like the situation we are facing now. Whether the opportunity before us evolves into a significant historical moment or has the opposite effect depends on the words President Erdoğan will say and the steps he will take.

In this vein, the step that must be taken urgently is to prepare the legal framework for the PKK to lay down its arms, to determine the fundamental principles of this process, and to implement a perspective of democratization. In this context, the government should bring the independent, inclusive, and integrative law mentioned in the commission report to Parliament without delay and immediately take the steps specified in the democratization section.

Moreover, many of these are matters that do not require legal or constitutional amendments. Ending the appointment of trustees, implementing the decisions of the Constitutional Court (AYM) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), making trial without detention the norm, releasing sick prisoners and convicts, and paving the way for fair trials are some of these.

When Erdoğan shows the will in this direction, politics will normalize, the public's support for and trust in the process in daily life will increase, the atmosphere will soften with the regulations to be made in the field of democratization, and social acceptance will become even easier.

EMPHASIS ON THE INTERNAL FRONT

On one side, we are surrounded by a ring of fire; on the other, Turkey is conducting a peace process with a perspective that anticipates these developments, and with the impact of these two developments, calls to strengthen the internal front gain even more meaning. The importance of the internal front was revealed in the US/Israel and Iran conflict. It was seen that the greatest power is the unity and solidarity established among the people themselves, rather than tanks and cannons, and the importance of social peace established, protected, and maintained against the outside was once again revealed. This shows that Turkey has taken the right step for the peace process at the right time, justifying the desire to strengthen the internal structure.

Then the issue is not just to express this, but also to fulfill the requirements of this call. Moreover, we have an important argument for this, such as the peace process. If the requirements of the peace process are fulfilled, the internal front will naturally strengthen on its own. However, not a single concrete step has been taken on this matter for over a year. This attitude both weakens the belief in peace and negatively affects the sentiment of fortifying the internal front.

On the other hand, we know that there are some circles inside and outside who do not want social peace; therefore, the longer the process drags on, the more susceptible it becomes to infection. Everyone accepts this and says that what needs to be done should be done as soon as possible without giving an opportunity for provocations, but even those who say this do not do what needs to be done. This is the crux of the deadlock.

"THE PUBLIC EXPECTS CONCRETE STEPS"

For example, the fact that so many elected mayors are being tried while in detention and that no steps have yet been taken regarding the trustees causes great reactions in the public and shakes trust in the ballot box; a public that has lost its trust finds it difficult to trust the peace process. Similarly, the implementation of AYM and ECHR decisions will increase the citizens' faith in and support for the state, the law, and the process. The release of sick prisoners and convicts is a humanitarian and conscientious situation rather than a political one.

Everyone is asking: How will we achieve peace by saying 'peace' on one hand, while trying the mayor of a city of 16 million in detention, conducting operation after operation against the main opposition party, and excluding half of society? The fact that the will of approximately 17.5 million people is currently imprisoned points to a major problem in terms of democracy.

"TRUST IN THE JUDICIARY IS DECREASING"

The politicization of the judiciary and the drop in trust in the law to below 20 percent damages the belief in justice and makes legal security uncertain. This is an important piece of data that needs to be reflected upon and acted upon to eliminate. Therefore, it is the expectation of the vast majority of society that courts, cleansed of political assessments, conduct fair trials and that the judiciary be impartial and independent.

Furthermore, the pressure on the press leads to the disruption of the most important factor that fulfills the public's right to information. Ending the pressure on the press will increase faith in the law and further strengthen our unity and integrity. It should not be forgotten that justice is at the center of the economic and democratic problems Turkey is struggling with today.

"EMERGING FROM THE RING OF FIRE MUST BE THE MOST IMPORTANT GOAL"

The ring of fire around us reveals once again the importance of the peace process that began with Bahçeli's call. When considered together with the ring of fire around us, it is seen how important this initiated process is.

A country's army may not be sufficient, its economy may be in crisis; these are things that can be overcome. But if a society is not at peace within itself, none of the other elements have any value. If there is unity and solidarity in society, no one can defeat that society or that country. The developments in Iran showed us this.

The most valuable thing in the world is not gold or diamonds, but the need felt at that moment. Our most urgent need now is peace, unity, and solidarity, and to fulfill the requirements of these without losing time.

"THE REQUIREMENTS OF BAHÇELİ'S WORDS MUST BE FULFILLED"

MHP Chairman Bahçeli's parliamentary speech (October 22, 2024) triggered a milestone; Öcalan responded to this with a call to his organization (February 27, 2025), and the organization complied with the call and took a decision to dissolve (May 5, 2025). Subsequently, the symbolic act of burning weapons (July 11, 2025) took place, and the organization declared that it had ended its armed struggle, ending its existence both physically and mentally by burning the weapons.

These historical steps taken by the organization are very important for the peace process to take hold. Bahçeli, who has defended the process sincerely and decisively from the beginning, made the second important call, summarizing in one sentence the steps that need to be taken for the process to progress: "For Anatolia to find peace, Öcalan for hope (a step regarding the organization), Ahmet's to office (a step regarding the trustees, which is the expectation of the vast majority of society), and Demirtaş to home (a step regarding the detainees)."

However, to date, neither have the requirements of Bahçeli's words been fulfilled, nor has a step been taken in response to the actions Öcalan had his organization take. If the credibility of the words of the two key actors of the process is damaged, the process itself will suffer. The public is asking: If this is a state project, and the President and the government support this process, then why are the requirements of these words not being fulfilled? These questions stand before us as statements and inquiries regarding trust, which determine the course of the matter and the nature of social support.

"STATE GUARANTEE MUST NOT BE DAMAGED"

If the peace process is a state project and its success is desired, it cannot be evaluated according to the conjuncture and vote calculations. As the most concrete step of the process, the requirements of the commission report, which was presented with a high political consensus in Parliament, must be fulfilled as soon as possible. The enactment of the independent, inclusive, and integrative law mentioned in the sixth chapter of the report without losing time is the crux of the process. The opposite will invite provocation and infection.

At this point, the concepts the government puts forward as 'confirmation' and 'determination' lead to a deadlock rather than a contribution to the process. Under what legal framework will those who lay down their arms do so? Does expecting this without a law, knowingly or unknowingly, not encourage not laying down arms rather than laying them down?

Therefore, the law referred to as the 'special law' must be enacted immediately, weapons must be laid down immediately, and the steps regarding democratization, which do not even require some of the legal changes proposed in the seventh article of the report, must be taken without losing time. It should not be forgotten that weapons have always been used as a justification for authoritarianism in politics and unequal development in the economy. Now that weapons have disappeared, necessary steps must be taken in both of these areas.

"THE PILLAR OF PEACE IS TRUST"

As in many areas, the main pillar of the peace process is trust. This trust must be given to the society. If society trusts, it believes; if it believes, it gives support. One of the most important reasons why peace processes have not been successful to date is that social support could not be provided as required. The success of today's process depends on the socialization of the process. For this, it is essential and mandatory that the political consensus reached under the roof of Parliament be transformed into a social consensus.

At this point, it should be the primary duty of the parties to explain the process to their own bases. In addition, the media should embrace the process and enlighten the public on this issue with an accurate and positive perspective. Civil society organizations should be made partners in the process; academia, unions, chambers, and associations should not be left out of this business.

"CALL TO THE GOVERNMENT"

There are some issues that are national in nature, and the ongoing process is one of them. Therefore, it would be beneficial for the People's Alliance (Cumhur İttifakı) and the opposition to set up a table and be in dialogue regarding political operations that harm the peace process.

In particular, ending the siege on the main opposition is important for peace. Polarization and tension must be ended. Political parties are not enemies of each other but rivals, and competition should also be conducted with courtesy.

All of this will increase trust in the process in society, and this trust will accelerate democratization; on this ground that will be formed, legal and constitutional steps can be taken more easily, and our country will be able to overcome this ring of fire and become the most respected and strongest democracy in the region within 5-10 years."

News Source: 12punto