Kurtulmuş met with the Turkish community in Rome, the capital of Italy, where he came to attend the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament, hosted by Türkiye's Ambassador to Rome, Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen.
In his speech here, Kurtulmuş stated that there is an extremely positive agenda between Türkiye and Italy, especially in recent years, and that bilateral relations are constantly improving.
Stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continue to work diligently to further the relations between the countries, Kurtulmuş said that they are making efforts to develop these positive relations between the governments in the parliaments.
Kurtulmuş noted that during their contacts in Rome, they will meet with the President of the Italian House of Representatives, Lorenzo Fontana, and the President of the Italian Senate, Ignazio La Russa, and will have the opportunity to talk about their cooperation in the field of parliamentary diplomacy.
Stating that important consultations will be held on the margins of the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament, Kurtulmuş expressed his hope that this meeting will contribute to both increasing the solidarity between European countries and ensuring a common direction within the framework of common interests in this period when the world is going through a difficult period.
Pointing out that conflicts, tensions and crises have started a new era in the world, Kurtulmuş said that Israel's genocide in Gaza, which has been going on for 3 years, and its inhumane practices in the West Bank, have shown all humanity the collapse of the world system.
Stating that the European continent entered a labyrinth with no exit with the Russia-Ukraine war, Kurtulmuş emphasized that this war has become a conflict that closely concerns all European countries.
Kurtulmuş noted that the Russia-Ukraine war is not a distant war for Türkiye and that it constitutes a conflict area that endangers the security of the Black Sea and has the potential to spread seriously in the Black Sea.
Stating that the Palestine issue is a historical responsibility for Turkey that must be embraced as a nation, and has become an issue that closely concerns the security of Türkiye and the region, Kurtulmuş said, "As the most influential country in the region, we have no choice but to stand very strong on our feet. As Turkey, our perspective on all these regional and global problems is to keep the diplomatic table open, to base negotiation and to be involved in an activity that will end conflicts with mutual negotiations." he said.
"SUCH A HIGH ALLIANCE IS A FIRST FOR THE GNAT AND TURKISH DEMOCRACY"
Stating that global and regional developments have brought Türkiye into a period in which it must be extremely sensitive, Kurtulmuş said, "During this period, it is one of the most important obligations for Türkiye to solve its own internal problems and somehow leave its problems behind. In this context, the Terror-Free Turkey issue, which was initiated 2 years ago, is a national priority that has been addressed within this framework." made his evaluations.
Stating that the most burning and difficult issue of the first century of the Republic was the issue of terrorism, Kurtulmuş emphasized that now the mind of the state and the conscience of the nation have come together and demonstrated determination to solve this problem.
Kurtulmuş, who also gave information about the work of the National Solidarity, Fraternity and Democracy Commission established in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, said that the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration was accepted with the votes of 467 deputies in this process.
Kurtulmuş, drawing attention to the record vote in the adoption of the Law, continued as follows: "Such a high alliance is a first for the Turkish Grand National Assembly and for Turkey's democracy. Our nation has now assigned politics to solve this problem and leave terrorism behind. Politics has fulfilled this task in an extraordinarily strong and well-deserved manner, and now we are trying and working to achieve the results of this. Of course, the first step of the issue is the dissolution of the terrorist organization itself and the start of the disarmament process. Steps regarding this are also being taken." "We see it, you are following it, too. The process of evacuating the caves and laying down the weapons continues on its own path. We will continue on our way by evaluating how the process progresses and how it develops, one by one, through the committee chaired by our Vice President. Then, in the coming days, we will form a monitoring board within the Turkish Grand National Assembly with a proposal that will ensure the participation of all parties."
Emphasizing that the terrorism-free Türkiye process also creates a model for Türkiye in the fight against terrorism in the world, Kurtulmuş said that this model has been operated well so far.
Kurtulmuş said, "I hope that terrorism, with all its elements and all its consequences, will be eliminated as soon as possible." he said.
Stating that the process is also important in terms of creating a terrorism-free zone, Kurtulmuş continued his words as follows:
"This process is not only a law, not only an issue related to the terrorist organization, but also an important and historical step regarding the compilation and recovery of the region. Terror-free Turkey is not only an issue related to Türkiye's borders, it has already initiated a process in which we see positive effects in the countries of the region, both in Syria, Iraq and other countries. We hope that with the development of the Terror-Free Turkey process, what we call a terrorist-free zone will also come true. In both our brother and friend Iraq and Syria, armed groups and militia groups will be completely out of action, leaving only the state "We will rapidly move towards a structure where the authority has weapons in its hands." he said.
Stating that one of Türkiye's greatest strengths is the Turkish community abroad, especially in the European continent, Kurtulmuş said, "We know that there is a strong Turkish diaspora in Italy. We hope that Türkiye's cultural diplomacy institutions will continue their work strongly here, as they do everywhere." he said.
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Kurtulmuş, answered the questions of the participants after his speech.
Kurtulmuş also visited Türkiye's Ambassador to Rome, Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, and received information about her work.
