Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler on Tuesday issued an emphatic call for the PKK terrorist organisation and all affiliated groups to immediately end armed activity and surrender their weapons, saying Ankara will not tolerate the presence of terrorist organisations anywhere in the region, including Syria.
Stating Ankara will not tolerate the presence of terrorist organisations anywhere in the region, Guler said all PKK-linked groups must comply fully with a dissolution decision by halting operations “without delay” and handing over arms unconditionally.
In May, the PKK formally renounced its decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state, ending a conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives.
He specifically named the PKK, PYD, YPG, and SDF, stressing that none would be allowed to “take root” in the region.
Guler said the Turkish Armed Forces’ deterrent power has been most evident in the fight against terrorism, crediting the efforts of Turkish soldiers with pushing terrorist groups to the brink of defeat.
‘Terror-free Türkiye’
Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye has launched what Guler described as a “Terror-Free Türkiye” process, aimed at permanently ending the threat posed by armed groups.
While Ankara genuinely wants the process to succeed, he said, its outcome depends entirely on terrorist groups abandoning violence and disarming.
The defence minister added that the National Defence Ministry and the Turkish Armed Forces would continue to work with determination toward the country’s long-term “Türkiye Century” goals, pledging to build a stronger and more secure nation.
