03.08.2026 12:07
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said that a bill regarding the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process is expected to be submitted to Parliament next week with a joint proposal from the parties.
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) Numan Kurtulmuş, at the "2026 YKS Istanbul Champions Gathering" program organized by the Istanbul Governorship and the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education, came together with students from Istanbul who ranked in the top thousand in the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS). Addressing the students at the program, Kurtulmuş said that the future of Türkiye will rise on the shoulders of well-educated, self-confident young people who are committed to their national values.
Stating that 701 students from Istanbul ranking in the top thousand in YKS is a significant success, Kurtulmuş expressed that this is an indicator that equality of opportunity in education has strengthened. Noting that in the past, success was associated with certain schools, Kurtulmuş stated that today successful students are being raised from schools all over Türkiye, and he emphasized that this is one of the most important transformations in the field of education.
"THOSE WITHOUT SELF-CONFIDENCE HAVE NO SELF-RELIANCE"
Addressing the young people, Kurtulmuş said: "Our young people have become self-confident. Now, if we asked the 701 champions in this hall about any subject, from defense technologies to national education technologies, from agricultural technologies to the most advanced technology fields, 'Can you do this?', not one of you would ever answer 'We cannot do it.' This is more important than the diploma you received, the degree you earned, and all the educational accumulation you possess. Those without self-confidence have no self-reliance. Those who do not trust themselves have no trust in the nation and are of no benefit to humanity. That is why we thank God. Your successes further consolidate and strengthen our self-confidence as a nation. Now, there is a very long road ahead of you. You need to seriously evaluate this roadmap. The key to this roadmap, the lantern illuminating our path, is knowledge."
"WE ARE THROWING THE DOORS OF A NEW ERA WIDE OPEN"
In the final part of his speech, Kurtulmuş touched upon the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process, stating that Türkiye has spent many years fighting terrorism. Kurtulmuş noted that thousands of young people lost their lives due to terrorism, many people became martyrs and veterans, and the country suffered great economic losses, and he recorded the following:
"We squandered nearly 50 years of the first century of the history of the Republic of Türkiye on terrorism. Unfortunately, thousands of our young people, bright young people like you, were torn away from life due to terrorism. Those young people perished and disappeared in the vortex of ignorance, deprivation, and destitution left by terrorism. Now, Türkiye is closing this phase, closing this chapter, and throwing the doors of a new era wide open before us. The goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye is one of the most important stops on the goal of a new, strong, and great Türkiye. With a Terror-Free Türkiye, hopefully, with the end of terrorism, it will be ensured that our young, bright children like you, everywhere in Türkiye, participate in this race of life as equal individuals. Instead of the losses caused by terrorism, we will all together experience the positive atmosphere offered by the climate of brotherhood in Türkiye.
"SONGS OF BROTHERHOOD WILL BE SUNG EVERYWHERE IN THE HOMELAND"
Terrorism, over a period of more than 40 years, claimed the lives of tens of thousands of our people. Thousands of our people became martyrs and veterans at a young age. Türkiye suffered a great economic loss of approximately 2.3 trillion dollars. Türkiye was always in the insecurity of 'Are we divided, or will we be divided?' We are leaving all of these behind. Hopefully, with a Terror-Free Türkiye, from now on, only songs of peace and brotherhood will be sung everywhere in this homeland. People will confidently advance towards the future.
'TERROR-FREE TÜRKİYE' LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO COME TO THE PARLIAMENT NEXT WEEK
Hopefully, next week, the legislative proposal, which is one of the important pillars of this process, will come to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye as a joint proposal of our parties. I hope that with the votes of the vast majority of our deputies, it will become law at the end of the discussions and we will have left behind another important step. From now on, terrorism and our losses due to terrorism in this country will remain only as a bad memory from the early periods of our Republican history. From now on, every corner of our homeland will rise with the sounds of peace, brotherhood, production, technology, and a strong Türkiye keeping pace with global competition."