Erdogan openly declared his intentions

POLITICS SERVICE

Following a call from PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan , the anticipated disarmament ceremony took place in Sulaymaniyah the day before. The ceremony, described as a "goodwill gesture," was welcomed by the AKP and MHP , with both Devlet Bahçeli and President Erdoğan emphasizing that the door to a new era had been opened.

The silencing of the guns in a war that has nearly lasted 50 years and has claimed tens of thousands of lives should undoubtedly be considered a positive development for all peoples. After all, the people have always been the losers in decades of conflict. However, the question of whether democracy, freedom, and peace will prevail under the current regime—and therefore, the ultimate purpose of all these discussions—must be addressed from the broadest perspective.

As you may recall, the process began last summer with the "internal front" rhetoric repeatedly repeated by the AKP, MHP, and the Palace's Chief Advisor Mehmet Uçum. Trump's return to power, the Israeli blockade of Gaza, the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria, the blows dealt to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the redesign of the Middle East by the US and Israel, pushed both the Kurdish movement and the Palace regime to seek a repositioning of the region based on a Turkish-Kurdish alliance. Following these internal front discussions, the first critical step in the process was taken at the opening of Parliament on October 1st, when MHP Leader Bahçeli shook hands with the Democratic People's Party (DEM) party and immediately afterwards addressed PKK Leader Öcalan in Parliament, calling for the PKK to dissolve itself.

Undoubtedly, the process, which had been brewing in advance, reached a certain point with the DEM delegation's visit to İmralı and Öcalan's call. The PKK, having convened its congress, announced its decision to lay down its arms and dissolve itself. In a process fraught with questions and uncertainties, the PKK finally lit its weapons the other day in a ceremony attended by a 30-person guerrilla group, and footage was released. As expected, the ceremony was presented as a major victory by the AKP and MHP. Bahçeli, while thanking Pervin Buldan, also noted that Öcalan had kept his word.

DEFINITION OF ALLIANCE FROM ERDOĞAN

Following the ceremony in Sulaymaniyah, AKP President Erdoğan, who made assessments at his party's 32nd Consultation and Evaluation Meeting, also offered messages regarding the process yesterday. Saying, "A new page has been opened today," Erdoğan announced the establishment of a parliamentary commission and said, "We will begin discussing the legal requirements of the process." Erdoğan declared his true intention by stating, "We, as the AKP, MHP, and DEM Party, have decided to walk this path together," thus declaring his true intention. One of the striking points in Erdoğan's speech was his statement, "Today, the spirit of Manzikert, today, the Jerusalem alliance, today, the core of the War of Independence is being reshaped. We are at the dawn of a terror-free Turkey." Erdoğan and Bahçeli, who put forward a neo-Ottoman perspective based on a synthesis of Turks, Kurds, Arabs, and Islam, admitted that they embarked on this path, supported by PKK leader Öcalan, both to define a position in the new regional design and to reconsolidate domestic policy.

As the AKP lost its position as the leading party in the last elections, Erdoğan realized he no longer had any arguments to gain public approval. Polls also revealed that Erdoğan's voter support waned in the face of potential rivals. Despite the regime's best efforts, the anti-Erdoğan front that emerged during the presidential referendum could not be dismantled until the March 31st local elections. The government resorted to dividing the opposition through internal and solution-oriented discussions.

A STICK IN ONE HAND, A CARROT IN THE OTHER

While discussions for a solution were taking place, the button was pressed, and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu was imprisoned in the March 19th operations. CHP municipalities were targeted one after another, mayors were arrested, and trustees were appointed to these municipalities. Meanwhile, the main opposition party was categorized as an "arch-enemy" by the congress case against the CHP and the indictment seeking to lift the parliamentary immunity of 61 members of parliament, including CHP leader Özgür Özel. The regime, which also intimidated the social opposition, imprisoned young people exercising their right to protest and journalists doing their jobs.

Holding a stick in one hand, the government offers the opposition a carrot in the other, with discussions about a solution and calls for a new constitution. With 30-40% support, the government is embarking on a Middle Easternization campaign, relying on the US and Trump. It also aims to institutionalize the regime within the country, ensuring that ballot boxes are mere formalities, elections become completely meaningless, and the opposition is confined to borders it controls.

Meanwhile, the common struggle of every segment of society—from young people struggling with deepening poverty, reacting to injustices, opposing reactionary interventions in lifestyles, and championing freedoms—from women to those whose futures have been taken away, from retirees struggling to survive on poverty wages to millions forced to live on minimum wage, is opposition to the regime. Even the last year of the country has shown that anyone close to Erdoğan and the regime has eroded, while support for those who have created barriers between them and the regime has increased. It must not be forgotten that today, the social opposition favors change, and that no negotiation with this regime, including the Constitutional Convention, will yield any gains for the people.

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BARRACK'S EMPHASIS ON THE "OTTOMAN MODEL"

The US Ambassador's statement regarding Barrack's publicly reported YPG-PKK relationship drew attention, while AKP President Erdoğan called for a shared past and future for the Arab and Kurdish peoples regarding the PKK's disarmament process. Erdoğan, noting that Tom Barrack is also the Special Representative for Syria, said, "They also held meetings and discussions in Syria. The messages given from there were very, very positive." Barrack had previously said, "The best system for Turkey is the Ottoman nation system." Furthermore, Erdoğan's remarks in yesterday's speech: "If Turks, Kurds, and Arabs are together, as one, together, then there are Turks, Kurds, and Arabs. When they are separated, divided, and estranged, there is defeat, humiliation, and sorrow." also drew attention.

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'THIS ALLIANCE IS A PROCESS ALLIANCE'

DEM Party MP and member of the İmralı delegation, Pervin Buldan, commented on Erdoğan's speech. Commenting on Erdoğan's statement, "We have now decided to walk this path together, at least as a trio: the AK Party, the Nationalist Movement Party, and the DEM," Buldan made the following statement: "Let's not misinterpret this. This alliance is a process alliance. It should definitely not be perceived as any other alliance. Everyone's line and path are clear. Therefore, this was a message that the DEM Party and the People's Alliance will walk a common path in terms of the process."

Meanwhile, Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Ahmet Türk, who was replaced by trustees for the third time, spoke about the possibility of reinstating trustees appointed to DEM Party municipalities as part of the "process." Türk said, "At this stage, I don't want such a thing to happen when trustees are appointed to CHP municipalities. I don't want to accept it. If that's the case, all trusteeship practices should be abolished."