Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş on 'Kurdish poem' and PKK's withdrawal decision: 'After verification'

Kurtulmuş, who chairs the parliamentary process commission, reiterated his "mother tongue" remarks made at an event in Diyarbakır, stating, "It is never acceptable for anyone to use their mother tongue as an excuse for political division. Everyone's mother tongue is as legitimate as their mother's milk." Kurtulmuş added, "I believe that saying this as the Speaker of Parliament opened an important door, but it is never acceptable for anyone to use their mother tongue as an excuse for political division."

The PKK leadership announced that, in line with the decisions of its 12th Congress and with the approval of Abdullah Öcalan, all of its forces in Turkey have begun withdrawing to the Medya Defense Areas. The statement, which said, "We are committed to the 12th Congress decisions and are determined to implement them," demanded that legal and political regulations be put into effect "without delay" for the process to advance.

The statement further noted, "Transitional justice specific to the PKK should be taken as a basis, and the necessary freedom and democratic integration laws must be enacted without delay to participate in democratic politics."

KURTULMUŞ'S STATEMENT ON REGULATIONS

The first statement following the decision also came from Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş. Kurtulmuş, who chairs the process commission, said, "Once security and intelligence agencies verify and register that the organization has laid down its arms, a period of legal regulations regarding a 'Terror-Free Turkey' will begin."

Emphasizing that they will certainly win and succeed at the end of the process, Kurtulmuş spoke as follows:

"In terms of conflict resolution, the most difficult thing in the world is managing the processes of ending terror between states and terrorist organizations. We know how this has ended in many countries. What is the point we have reached? As you know, the leader of the terrorist organization had announced, 'We are dissolving the organization, the organization is now laying down its arms.' Since then, state institutions have been following this process seriously. Another statement was made yesterday. A statement has been issued indicating that the organization has now completely withdrawn from Turkey and that its activities in Turkey have ended entirely. We see this as an important step, but once Turkey's security and intelligence agencies verify and register that the organization has indeed laid down its arms and is continuing or has concluded its self-dissolution process, a period of legal regulations regarding a 'Terror-Free Turkey' will begin."

In his speech at the Dicle University 2025-2026 Academic Year Opening Ceremony, attended by some members of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, Kurtulmuş reiterated his words, saying, "It is a reflection of the great shadow of diversity and multiculturalism, not division. The mother tongue is as legitimate as mother's milk. No one in this country can be questioned in any way for wanting to use their language as they wish."

MOTHER TONGUE STATEMENT: I BELIEVE IT OPENED AN IMPORTANT DOOR

Stating that the era of denial, rejection, and assimilation in Turkey is behind us, Kurtulmuş noted the following:

"Pressures on the identities of our Kurdish brothers and sisters, who constitute a significant social segment in Turkey, can no longer be a subject of discussion. Everyone must develop their own culture and accept their own identity as it is. We, too, must accept different identities, but I would like to underline that accepting different identities does not mean dividing, partitioning, or marginalizing society through different identities.

Last week, while finishing my speech at the university in Diyarbakır, I ended with a Kurdish couplet. They were words meaning, 'Let us be one, let us be together, hand in hand, heart to heart, let there be peace, let there be brotherhood.' I believe that saying this as the Speaker of Parliament opened an important door, but it is never acceptable for anyone to use their mother tongue as an excuse for political division. Everyone's mother tongue is as legitimate as their mother's milk. My mother is Turkish. That is why I know Turkish. If someone else's mother is from a different ethnic background, they should also speak as they wish in their mother's language. Because this is a requirement of our culture and our faith."