PKK disarms: End to four-decade conflict with Turkey
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced its dissolution and disarmament. It also declared an end to the conflict with Turkey, which has lasted for over four decades. The decision was announced on Monday by the group-affiliated Firat news agency.
What do you need to know?
- The PKK has announced plans to dissolve and disarm, potentially bringing an end to the four-decade-long conflict with Turkey.
- The decision was announced as part of a new peace initiative with Ankara.
- A party congress was held in northern Iraq, representing a key step towards this decision.
Historic decision
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced its plans to dissolve and disarm. This historic move aims to end the four-decade-long conflict with Turkey. This decision is part of a broad peace initiative intended to conclude the prolonged conflict, which has resulted in around 40,000 deaths and significantly affected regional stability.
"The congress has assessed that PKK struggle has destroyed the policy of rejection and destruction against our people and has led the Kurdish issue to the point of solution via democratic politics, and that in this respect, the PKK has completed its historical mission," the PKK stated in a comment on the May congress.
"On this basis, the 12th Congress of the PKK decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure and end the method of armed struggle," it explained.
Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wrote on social media that the implementation of the PKK's resolutions will be critical. He added that state institutions would closely monitor the group's dissolution process.
What does the PKK's decision mean for Turkey?
The decision to dissolve the PKK was announced just a few days after the party congress held in northern Iraq. The PKK announced a ceasefire in response to leader Abdullah Ocalan's appeal for the organisation to dissolve itself. The dissolution and disarmament of the PKK could bring long-awaited peace to the region, which has been a conflict zone for years.
The PKK, recognised as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU, and the US, has been rebelling against the Turkish state for four decades. The conflicts have also occurred in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, aside from Turkey itself. Captured in Kenya in 1999, Ocalan is imprisoned on an island south of Istanbul.
Some Turkish commentators have noted that by initiating the peace process, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan aims to gain the support of Kurdish deputies for introducing constitutional changes that would allow him to extend his power. According to current regulations, Erdogan's ongoing term as head of state should be his last. The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2028.
