Bahçeli sets red lines for 'Terror-Free Turkey': no concessions, no bargaining, no constitutional debate
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli said the "Terror-Free Turkey" process will involve no concessions, no bargaining and no step that opens Turkey's constitutional integrity to debate. In his lengthy statement, Bahçeli did not once refer to the Kurdish issue by name. Without mentioning Öcalan, he described the February 27 call as a "turning point." Strengthening Turkey's role as a regional actor, the statement said, is another goal of "Terror-Free Turkey."
RastinewsMHP leader Devlet Bahçeli spoke to the newspaper Türkgün about the "Terror-Free Turkey" process.
Bahçeli said the world is passing through a historic period of severe crises, and that the moment calls for new thinking, a rational strategy, national conscience and political responsibility.
Turkey, as a state and a nation, must weigh multi-dimensionally and realistically any developments that threaten its internal peace, unity, fraternity, security and interests, Bahçeli said. He added that unresolved social problems can no longer be put off, and that debates waged over values and identity have worn the public down.
Conditions have matured for a step that would defeat expectations of dissolution and division fed by a political language that produces crises instead of solutions, a confrontational style of politics, and propaganda that stokes social tension, Bahçeli said. Carrying Turkey safely into a bright future amid the chaotic period the world is going through, and building a future in which the nation lives in peace, prosperity and security, is the shared duty and responsibility of every patriotic citizen, he said.
Bahçeli said attempts to divide Turkey along lines of religion, faith, sect or ethnicity must be invalidated, along with categorical labels such as "progressive," "reactionary," "secular" and "devout." Shared values, he said, should not be pitted against one another or turned into tools of politics.
The "Terror-Free Turkey" process has placed a new historic responsibility on the MHP, Bahçeli said, continuing:
Our thousand-year fraternity, the essence of our faith and inspiration, is the greatest source of strength and power we have as a nation and a state. There is no problem we cannot overcome if we unite in a spirit of national unity and solidarity around our deep-rooted values. Our guide is shared reason and common sense, tolerance and mutual understanding. Abandoning entrenched prejudices, uniting around love of homeland and nation, and producing policy that will carry Turkey into the light with the spirit of the national struggle is the moral, political and humane course. We cannot surrender Turkey to the narrow confines of ideological objections, nor can we let the building of the Turkish and Turkey's Century fall victim to any dogmatic judgment. Building the Turkish and Turkey's Century has emerged as a political step that absolutely must be taken, a vision that cannot be avoided, and a necessity that can never be postponed. 'Terror-Free Turkey' is precisely these ideas given flesh and bone.
"Terror-Free Turkey" in 50 articles
Bahçeli's statement also included a section titled "Terror-Free Turkey in 50 Articles."
The articles describe "Terror-Free Turkey" as the will to end the terrorism problem Turkey has faced for more than 40 years, to repair the damage terrorism has inflicted on individuals, society, the economy and the state, and to free the future from terrorism's shadow. They emphasize preserving the unity and integrity of the Turkish nation, strengthening the sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey, and leaving future generations a safer, more peaceful and prosperous country.
The document stresses that the future must be built without forgetting past suffering, and that the memory of the fallen, the sacrifice of veterans and the nation's experience of paying a heavy price in the fight against terrorism are the most important pillars of the "Terror-Free Turkey" goal.
It notes that the "Terror-Free Turkey" goal was put forward on the basis of Turkey's own will, reasons of state and national interest, and that the MHP's approach involves no external imposition, no bargaining and no arrangement that would limit the national will.
For the MHP, the document says, the issue is bringing the entire Turkish nation together around a shared vision of the future while strengthening state security and social peace together. It recalls that the political groundwork for "Terror-Free Turkey" took shape in the new political atmosphere that began when Bahçeli shook hands with DEM Party lawmakers at the opening of parliament's new legislative year on October 1, 2024.
It states that Bahçeli's role in the process should be understood within the MHP's political philosophy of "country and nation first, party and self after," and that politics is not merely reacting to current events but reading the connections between developments and building a strategic position in line with national interests.
Goal: eliminate terrorism, conduct politics on legitimate democratic ground
The document says the goal is for the terrorist organization to lay down its arms and dissolve itself, and points to the February 27, 2025 call for disarmament and dissolution as one of the process's major turning points.
It emphasizes that the basic condition for "Terror-Free Turkey" is removing weapons and violence as tools of politics, and states that the process should be seen not as surrender, concession or bargaining with a terrorist organization, but as an effort to eliminate terrorism and conduct politics on legitimate, democratic ground.
It notes the importance of every member of the Turkish nation uniting around a shared sense of national belonging and a shared vision of the future, and says that rather than turning differences into a source of conflict, the bonds of common citizenship and fraternity should be strengthened.
"Terror-Free Turkey" is not merely a matter of domestic security, the statement says, since developments in the region directly affect the country's security, economy, foreign policy and regional standing.
Citing US-China rivalry, the Russia-Ukraine war, conflicts in the Middle East, the political and economic problems facing Europe, and shifting trade and energy routes, it says Turkey is directly affected by regional developments because of its geopolitical position between Europe and Asia and between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean — and that there is therefore a direct link between Turkey's internal security and regional security.
It underlines that Turkey should not merely observe developments in its region, but assess them in line with its national interests and, when necessary, help shape their direction.
A reduction in the security spending, lost investment and damage to production and trade caused by terrorism, it adds, would free up resources for development.
Parliament's role
The statement also points to parliament's role in the "Terror-Free Turkey" process, noting that the National Solidarity, Fraternity and Democracy Commission has been working within the assembly, that its report was debated with the participation of political parties, and that handling the process on parliamentary ground has created a broader space for democratic deliberation.
"Terror-Free Turkey" is described as a goal that will strengthen, not weaken, the state's sovereign capacity, social solidarity and sense of national unity. The process, it stresses, involves no concessions, no bargaining and no approach that would open Turkey's constitutional integrity to debate.
Another stated goal of "Terror-Free Turkey" is to strengthen Turkey's role as a regional actor.
"Terror-Free Turkey" is described as the will to carry the Turkish nation's thousand-year bonds of fraternity into the future. Making the goal permanent, the statement adds, depends not only on silencing weapons but also on developing Turkey's economic, social, legal and democratic capacity.
Independent Türkçe