Who will be the government's 'Chief Negotiator'?!

During the first resolution process, we memorized these slogans:

“Very good things will happen in the coming days... It must definitely be resolved... Our hope for the future has increased... We will continue on our path... Our determination will continue... We will not take a step back, we will not make concessions... Turkey will resolve its own issues itself... We will follow the developments carefully... We will start from scratch... We are at a good point today.”

In response to those words and expressions, Devlet Bahçeli came out and said the following:

“If a separatist prisoner serving a life sentence in the sovereign Turkish state's prison can convey his projects and ideas regarding the division and separation of Turkey to his supporters outside, to the terrorist organization and its followers, then two things come to our mind: Either there is a massive security and control weakness and the monster of Imralı, who benefits from this, is directing the outside. Or there is a very serious government operation and the ringleader of the terrorist organization is acting as a prompter... If tolerance is shown to the leaking of treacherous projects from Imralı, if the indivisible integrity of the state and the nation is put in danger at the level of survival, then it will emerge that the AKP government has an intention to dissolve the Republic of Turkey without notice... Which state in the world that exercises its sovereign rights can allow attempts that will destroy and annihilate it? Or is it possible to openly allow and provide opportunities for the activities of centers that aim to change its administrative structure, target to disrupt the integrity of its nation, and think of lowering its flag?... On whom will the responsibility for the current pathetic state of the Turkish state, which has a thousands-year-old state tradition, fall?... The power of the Turkish state has been dragged through the mud today and its reputation has been trampled. If the projects of a traitor lying in prison today are reaching halls, if thought exercises on the fragmentation of the country are being conducted, the primary responsibility for this will be the political power that brought the state to this state... Unfortunately, the Turkish nation has witnessed many times, before and after the destruction process, the bombastic and hollow words uttered by those who assumed state and government responsibility... It is a shame, a delusion, and nonsense to reduce the treason project that the AKP government is carrying out with outside orders to the Kurdish issue.”

PKK SHOW AFTER 12 MARTYRS

Before we put the 30 terrorists' weapon-burning show and what follows on the table, let's start with a part of Erdoğan's speech in Kızılcahamam, which was described as “historic”.

“Martyr mothers, martyr fathers, I kiss your hands, no one can reach out to the sacred memory of our martyrs, no one can stain their legacy. Yes, rest assured, with the point reached, the goal of our martyrs will have found its destination. My veteran brothers, rest assured, with the point reached, your sacrifice will be crowned. Our martyrs brought Turkey here, our veterans brought it here, we are grateful to each of them and we will never let their memory be trampled upon,” he said.

Then he called for every street and avenue to be decorated with the Turkish Flag to celebrate the PKK's weapon-burning play. Thank God, a celebration with fireworks was not organized.

How did we forget that on the day we gave 12 martyrs in a PKK cave, he was “consulting on the stage the process has reached and what needs to be done from now on” with the DEM members who act as postmen to Imralı, that not even a day of mourning was declared in the country, and that the next day, the terrorist leader's video message to his separatist organization was published, didn't we?!

What did the terrorist leader, who has become almost like the “son of his father” to the government and its partners, command? He had prepared a historical “Democratic society manifesto” not only for the Kurdish society but for the regional and global society... Since the denial of their existence had ended, he had ended the “national liberation war strategy”... The “historic point reached” would be taken even further... The transition from “armed struggle to democratic politics and the legal stage” was “not a loss, but a historic gain”!..

Woe is me... The democratization of the country and becoming a state of law is left to the murderer of 50 thousand of our people... We are dead and there is no one to mourn us.

MOBILIZATION TO HIDE THE TRUTH FROM THE NATION

Although it did not receive as much attention as Nagihan Alçı's “guerrilla” outfit, let's come to the details of the showy “weapon-burning” incident, which has been described with great enthusiasm by the government and its media for days.

First; it is understood from the statement made by the terrorists here that the name of the PKK will be “peace and democratic society group” from now on...

Second; it was reported that “from now on, the struggle for freedom, democracy, and socialism” would be “carried out through democratic politics and legal methods”...

Third; it was emphasized that “everything is won by paying heavy prices every day, by fighting tooth and nail” and that “what comes after this will also be a difficult struggle”...

Fourth; a call was made for active struggle and solidarity at the global level for the freedom of the terrorist leader in Imralı and for a democratic political solution to the Kurdish issue...

After the statement ended, KCK's so-called executive council co-chair Bese Hozat said, “Undoubtedly, very serious legal reforms are needed for this historic initiative to succeed. There is a serious need for legal and constitutional regulations, these are necessities. These are necessary for this process to succeed.”

You remember, after the reading of the terrorist leader's call on February 27, the late Sırrı Süreyya Önder had said the exact same expressions as “Öcalan's request and footnote”.

Our media thought those words of Bese Hozat were “going off-script” or “a slip of the tongue”!..

No, sir; it is obvious that those who are orchestrating the process have requested that the PKK not openly voice its demands, especially regarding the Constitutional amendment, so that the nation does not wake up quickly and the government does not get into trouble.

There is also a statement Bese Hozat gave after the ceremony; look at what she commanded:

“We do not want to be content with our arrival here from the mountains. After so much experience, we would also like to be the executors and pioneers of democratic politics in Amed, Ankara, and Istanbul. However, we see that the state's current attitude is not in a position to respond to this much... But it should also be known that these things will not be one-sided, they should not be... We have done our best for the process to be concluded successfully. We have shown all the sacrifices. Now the ball is in the other side's court. We are waiting for the steps that need to be taken.”

IF THERE IS NO GIVE-AND-TAKE, WHAT ARE THESE?

While this is the situation; Erdoğan continued to say, “The Terror-Free Turkey Project is not the result of a negotiation, a bargain, a give-and-take process... Let everyone be sure that we will not let the honor and pride of the Republic of Turkey be trampled upon.”

The government media is also in the mood of, “Turkey won”, “The milestone of the new and great Turkey”, “We are solving the PKK problem with a few regulations without making concessions.”, “The name of this is the Turkey model.”, “PKK burning weapons is ‘surrender’... We are proud. We defeated the world's most comprehensive terrorist organization with our minds as much as with our blood”!..

Fortunately, there are those who squeeze the conditions of the terrorist leader and the PKK between the lines: they only have 4-5 little requests such as “Changes in anti-terror and execution laws, solving the trustee problem, EDUCATION IN MOTHER TONGUE, strengthening local governments”, and also “CONSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP”!!

Let us also note that DEM Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan from the Imralı team said, “In the transformation process the world is going through, the nation-state has reached a dead end... Our 3rd way approach offers a democratic alternative that pierces the traditional nation-state model.”

If there is no “give-and-take” process as the government and its media describe, and if the PKK is laying down its arms unconditionally, a simple question:

Why did Ahmet Türk, whose foreign travel ban was lifted so he could watch the show, ask for “a congress to be convened to discuss the rights of the Kurdish people” and even for Masoud Barzani to visit the terrorist leader in Imralı?!

WHAT WILL THE TBMM COMMISSION COOK UP?

As is known, the terrorist leader commanded that a commission should be established in the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Turkey) to carry out legal and constitutional work regarding the process.

Let's think about what this commission will do.

Even though Erdoğan said in Kızılcahamam, “Now we will sit down and talk. Not with weapons, not with violence, not for a fight; we will talk face to face, heart to heart for affection, brotherhood, by removing the terror obstacle in between... My Kurdish brother, do you have an issue? We will sit down and talk without weapons, violence, or terror in between. My Alevi brother, do you have a problem? We will solve it through dialogue,” as far as we know, there is no “Kurdish issue” to be discussed, but rather what will be the fate of the terrorists who are said to have agreed to lay down their arms unconditionally.

The remedy for this is also clear; either an amnesty will be issued, or they will be asked to surrender and be tried, or they will be told, “Stay away from Turkey and go to whatever hell you want.”

But it is understood from these words of Erdoğan that the process will not consist of this:

“Here, as a first step, we will establish a commission in the TBMM and start talking about the legal needs of the process under the roof of the Parliament. I am underlining it, as the People's Alliance, we will cook this process together with the AK Party, the Nationalist Movement Party, and the DEM delegation, God willing, and carry it into the future... We believe that the strong contribution our Grand Assembly will make to the process is of critical importance in terms of the work being carried out... Let everyone know that there is no need to clench fists anymore. We will reconcile, we will embrace, we will talk, we will walk by taking steps towards each other.”

After Erdoğan, AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik also said, “The Terror-Free Turkey process is not a give-and-take, negotiation, or bargaining process.” and gave the good news that the Commission would be established within days!!

It is obvious that the Commission will do things other than work aimed at “ensuring the legal security of those who lay down their arms and regulating their integration into society.”

As of the point reached, our primary question is:

The PKK side's “chief negotiator” is clear; the terrorist leader... So who will be the government's “chief negotiator”?

Müyesser YILDIZ

July 14, 2025