Turkish parliament speaker says PKK will hand over arms to Iraq in October

During a joint briefing with Iraq’s parliamentary leader Haibat al-Halbousi, Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmuş declared that the PKK will start handing over its weapons to the Iraqi central government in October, aligning with the “terror-free Türkiye” project. He emphasized that the disarmament follows a security committee’s roadmap and an August law intended to resolve Turkey’s long-standing terror issue. Kurtulmuş highlighted the regional benefits, hoping the initiative will help Iraq and Syria achieve lasting peace.

He noted that the PKK, which has used northern Iraq as a base for attacks on Turkey, lost its facilities after intensive military actions beginning in 2019. The speaker also mentioned the Development Road project, which aims to connect Asian economies with Europe through Iraq and Turkey, and pledged Turkish support for its acceleration.