AKP’s Metiner’s remarks 'We will embrace those coming down from the mountain' spark controversy: Metiner issues new statement following backlash

Comments made by former AKP MP Mehmet Metiner during a television program have risen to the top of the agenda. Metiner's remarks, "We will embrace the children of this country who come down from the mountain, and we will remove all obstacles to them engaging in politics on the flat plains. Let whoever understands it however they want to understand it," sparked controversy.

In his speech, referring to the terrorist organization PKK, Metiner stated, "Integration with the state and society. This is the condition for laying down arms; there is no other condition. I ask you, they have weapons in their hands, they will lay them down, they are the people of this country. What will we do, will we not forgive them? What is the point of being so irritated by the word amnesty?"

STATEMENT AFTER THE BACKLASH

Following the public outcry, Metiner issued a written statement on his social media account, claiming that his words were taken out of context. 

Metiner included the following in his statement:

Integration with the state and society. This is the condition for laying down arms; there is no other condition. I ask you. They have weapons in their hands, they will lay them down and come, they are the people of this country. What will we do, will we not forgive them? What is the point of being so irritated by the word amnesty. We will embrace the children of this country who come down from the mountain. Secondly, we will remove all obstacles to them engaging in politics on the flat plains. Let whoever understands it however they want to understand it. This is courage. If we are going to build a great Turkey, we will speak with this courage.

While Metiner's words, "We will embrace the children of this country who come down from the mountain," caused reactions, Metiner made a statement regarding the broadcast.

STATEMENT FROM METİNER

Metiner noted the following in his statement: 

-It did not surprise me at all to see that some of my words were taken out of context and used, and worst of all, distorted, even though I explained my views on amnesty very clearly in a program I attended on Ekol TV last night. I was certainly not surprised by a perception operation that I have become accustomed to, even if it is sad. Upon the request of friends I value, I am making this statement so that the Turkish public may know.

-In that speech, I insisted that the process was not a 'give-and-take' process. I emphasized that the claims of a "bargaining process" were not true.

-I specifically emphasized that the democratic construction process is necessary for the "Century of Turkey," that this construction process will begin when the terror threat is completely eliminated, and that it is wrong to see or portray this as a condition for laying down arms.

-As Celal Adan put it, I explained that while ending the period of blood and hatred, we must avoid producing new hatred, that we must leave our past hatreds in the past, that we must forgive each other for this, and that we must show the greatness of forgiveness necessary for a great reconciliation and embrace.

"I SAID THAT WE NEED TO REINTEGRATE THE PEOPLE ON THE MOUNTAIN WHO WANT TO LAY DOWN THEIR ARMS INTO SOCIETY AND EMBRACE THEM"

-In this context, I said that if a bloody problem is to be solved, we need to reintegrate the people on the mountain who want to lay down their arms into society and embrace them. Just as we embrace the children of the Diyarbakır mothers who have gone or were taken to the mountain for one reason or another.

Referring to the fact that an important pillar of the fight against terrorism is winning people over, I said that a winning policy must be brought to the fore to successfully complete the "process of integration with the state and society," that is, to remove terror from our agenda entirely. I emphasized the importance of forgiveness in this context.

-I importantly reminded that if those who lay down their arms and surrender are told, "We will also lock you up for 40 years, come if you are going to come!" this would mean nothing more than sabotaging the process, but that this does not mean an amnesty process or a bargaining process where everyone is forgiven unconditionally, that there is no such bargaining amnesty agenda on the government's agenda, and furthermore, that bringing the issue of amnesty to the agenda in this framework, that is, in a way that creates a give-and-take process, does not fit the spirit of the process.

-I importantly reminded that the issue of how weapons will be laid down and how armed elements will be reintegrated into society is a technical matter, that this is a matter that can be handled by the relevant units of our state, that I believe the state wisdom that has successfully brought the process to this point will also successfully complete this matter, and that we must trust our state in this regard.

I emphasized that if we want to solve the problem at its root, we must bury old hatreds in the ground and, if necessary, see forgiving each other as a complementary step in this process.

I said that this place where we should theoretically and mentally stand is necessary to end the period of blood and hatred.

CONCLUSION

Within the framework of this logic, I do not even see it as necessary to condemn the presentation of my words as "Mehmet Metiner is ready to embrace terrorists" as a perception operation by those who feed on blood and hatred and who would lose their reason for existence if the PKK lays down its arms. Because that is their duty.

The fact that the PKK is about to dissolve itself and lay down its arms must have disturbed those certain circles so much that they are able to steer the winning policy I envisioned for integration with the state and society, and the forgiving understanding necessary to strengthen our internal front, into such channels.

However, even though I said in that speech how important and necessary I see the normalization of politics as a whole and not seeing each other as enemies that must be destroyed within the framework of our understanding of strengthening the internal front, I leave it to the discretion of our nation to judge what kind of distortion the place where my words "we will embrace" were dragged to consists of.

I find every step that will solve this bloody problem forever to be very meaningful and valuable on my own behalf, that is all.