Terror-free Türkiye to be achieved ‘swiftly,' says President Erdogan
07:51, 14/03/2025, Friday
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the Iftar Dinner with Deputies program at the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye in Ankara, Turkiye on March 13, 2025. (AA)
'We aim to permanently and definitively get rid of a scourge that has tied Türkiye's feet for 40 years,' says Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said that his country aims to get rid of terrorism "permanently and definitively."
Speaking at an iftar, fast-breaking meal, with parliamentarians, Erdogan said that a Türkiye without terror “will be achieved swiftly, without dragging things out too long.”
“We aim to permanently and definitively get rid of a scourge that has tied Türkiye's feet for 40 years and caused tens of thousands of people to lose their lives," he added.
In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly. The PKK/YPG is the PKK's Syrian branch.
Jailed terrorist PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan on Feb. 27 called for the dissolution of the PKK and all groups under it, urging an end to its terror campaign spanning over 40 years.