Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Turkey's fight against terrorism will continue until every last militant is liquidated. He emphasized that the reconciliation process also will get a new framework.
Speaking in the capital, Erdoğan said Turkey did not have time to waste and emphasized a new constitution and renewed fight against terrorism.
“The period ahead of Turkey is not a period for dispute but for getting results," Erdoğan said. The next days will be a time of resolution, he said indicating the reconciliation process which has been put in “freeze" after the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists halted the more than two-year ceasefire this summer and resumed armed attacks targeting Turkish security forces and civilians.
The Turkish government launched the reconciliation process to put an end to the conflict in the country's southeastern region, where the PKK has been fighting more than 30 years for an autonomous Kurdish state.
The process has come to an important stage as jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the militants to lay down the arms. But in mid-July, the PKK announced an end to the process and re-launched its armed campaign against Turkey.
Turkish President said the process will continue from now to strengthen brotherhood among citizens and to secure peace across the country. “If this process needs a name, then it will be 'the national peace and brotherhood process'", he said.
He called everyone to come under the same roof of national unity and brotherhood and added that their fight will continue against those who disrupt the peace and refuse to open their arms to this brotherhood.
The Turkish fight against terrorism inside and outside the country will continue, Erdoğan said, and added that this will continue till the terrorist organization leaves Turkish territory.
"The operations against the PKK in Turkey and abroad are being taken in a determined way. There will be no break, we will go on," the president said. Erdogan said they would continue to fight until terrorists laid down their arms and the organization is dissolved as PKK members go abroad.
“Everyone should analyze the Nov. 1 [election results]," Erdoğan said.
He added that the nation had expressed their message against terrorism, terrorist organizations, and all kinds of parallel structures, as well as those who did not show the necessary attitude against all of these.
Erdoğan also underlined that a new constitution was one of the priorities of Turkey and emphasized that all political parties should cooperate to rewrite the country's constitution, which was written three decades ago by a coup government.
The President stated that constitutional reform was one of the most important demands of the electorate and cooperation between the government and the opposition was necessary for this.
The amending of the Turkish constitution is a long-standing issue in the Turkish parliament, as the issue has been discussed since Erdoğan's tenure as Prime Minister. The government achieved a great deal of support from many sides, but the parliament was unable to enact the laws as the opposition left the table without solution.
“Hopefully, they will not hesitate to support a new constitution," the Turkish President said. He added that if they did so, the Turkish nation would give them another strong answer in the next election, in 2019.
