ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli visited the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery to mark the 954th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert last year.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will convene his cabinet in the eastern district of Ahlat on Aug. 25 as Türkiye marks the 955th anniversary of a pivotal clash, with the government expected to highlight what it calls the “terror-free Türkiye” initiative.
The cabinet meeting will be held for the third time in Ahlat, a rare move that underscores the symbolic importance the government attaches to the anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert, which is widely regarded in Türkiye as a turning point that opened Anatolia to Turkish settlement.
Erdoğan and his close ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli are expected to attend commemorations in Ahlat, near the historic battlefield, where the Seljuk forces defeated the Byzantine army on Aug. 26, 1071.
The president attended the anniversary celebrations in Ahlat in each of the past two years, along with several ministers.
The Ahlat meeting is expected to include discussions on the government’s anti-terror campaign, with Erdoğan likely to highlight national unity and solidarity.
Erdoğan delivered a speech in Ahlat two years ago that was seen as signaling the beginning of the latest process aimed at ending the decades-long conflict with PKK.
Parliament on Aug. 10 overwhelmingly approved a law establishing the legal framework for the initiative. The bill was backed by 467 lawmakers.
The process began in late 2024 after Bahçeli called for a new initiative to end the PKK issue. It reached a major turning point in February 2025 when jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the terror group to end its armed campaign and dissolve itself.
PKK subsequently announced in June 2025 that it would disarm and disband, followed by a symbolic weapon-burning ceremony by members in northern Iraq a month later.
The new law establishes an eight-member board chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz to oversee implementation of the initiative. The board includes the foreign, defense, interior and justice ministers, along with senior intelligence and military officials.
A separate parliamentary commission has also been tasked with monitoring the process.
On Aug. 13, Erdoğan described parliament’s approval of the framework law as a “historic step” toward resolving the deadly conflict.
“We will permanently resolve this issue, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and 40 years of our country, through the joint efforts of the state and the nation,” he said.
The commemoration comes during “Victory Week,” when Türkiye also observes the start of the 1922 Great Offensive against occupying forces and celebrates Victory Day on Aug. 30.