Turks, Kurds, others are brothers: Erdoğan

TRABZON

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasized the unity of ethnic groups living together in Türkiye, describing Turks, Kurds and others as "brothers."

“We will not allow new walls to be built between us and our brothers with whom we have shared the same geography and lived side by side for thousands of years,” Erdoğan said at an event in the northern city of Trabzon on Jan. 5.

The president said the region’s people, regardless of ethnicity, have a "common past."

"Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Persians... We are the old owners of this geography. We have been together for centuries," he said. "We will not fall for the games of imperialists who turn brothers against each other and exploit their resources."

Erdoğan also criticized domestic political figures for promoting divisive rhetoric and appealed for unity among all citizens of Türkiye.

"The language of our mothers may be different. Our origins, political views, sects... may be different, but we are all children of this geography for a thousand years," he said.

"As 85 million people within our borders, we are all equal citizens of the Turkish Republic."

He vowed to eliminate terrorism in the country to ensure lasting peace and unity.

“We will definitely reach our goal of a terrorism-free Türkiye where conflict, violence and instability are a thing of the past with the unity of our hands and hearts,” he said.

The president specifically pointed to military campaigns in northern Syria, claiming success in removing the PKK’s presence along Türkiye’s border.

“Except for the Zionists, the separatist terrorist organization has almost no supporters, patrons and masters left... The end of the road is near for the terrorist organization,” Erdoğan said.

“They have no choice but to surrender their weapons, abandon terrorism and disband the organization.”

PKK is listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

Erdoğan's remarks followed a rare meeting between the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed PKK leader serving life on a prison island off Istanbul.

The pro-Kurdish DEM Party's predecessor, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), last met Öcalan in April 2015.

Last month's visit became possible after Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli invited Öcalan to come to parliament to renounce terror and disband PKK. Erdoğan, his ally, backed the appeal as a "historic window of opportunity."