Erdogan rejects criticism of Turkey's peace efforts with Kurdish militants

Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said recent steps had brought the process to a more ‌sensitive stage following the approval of a parliamentary commission report outlining a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). His remarks come a day after the pro-Kurdish DEM ‌Party issued one of its strongest criticisms yet of the government, accusing it of acting ‌in a "hesitant, timid and stalling manner" despite what it described as a historic opportunity for peace.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that ​the peace process aimed at ending Turkey's ​decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants ‌was progressing in ​a "positive atmosphere", after criticism from pro-Kurdish lawmakers. Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said recent steps had brought the process to a more ‌sensitive stage following the approval of a parliamentary commission report outlining a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

His remarks come a day after the pro-Kurdish DEM ‌Party issued one of its strongest criticisms yet of the government, accusing it of acting ‌in a "hesitant, timid and stalling manner" despite what it described as a historic opportunity for peace. Erdogan rejected such criticism, saying: "There is a positive atmosphere, what needs to be done is clear, and the process is progressing ⁠as it ​should." He added ⁠that those drawing pessimistic conclusions about the process were "acting on illusions, not facts".

"With the approval of the commission report, ⁠we have reached a crossroads that needs to be managed more carefully," Erdogan said, adding that the ruling ​People’s Alliance aimed to navigate this stage with the support of other political parties. The ⁠PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, halted attacks last year and ⁠said ​in May it had decided to disband and end its armed struggle, following a February 2025 call by its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan.

However, a standoff remains over next ⁠steps, with Ankara saying disarmament must be verified before further legal or political measures, while Kurdish political ⁠actors have called for ⁠faster reforms. The conflict, which began in 1984, has killed more than 40,000 people and has had spillover effects in Iraq and Syria.