Erdogan rejects criticism of Kurdish peace efforts

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.

-Reuters