ANKARA, Turkey — On Friday, a high-ranking Turkish official urged the dissolution of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s affiliates in Iraq and Syria. This call follows a significant appeal by the PKK’s jailed leader for his militant group to disarm and disband, aiming to conclude a conflict with Turkey that has spanned four decades.
Abdullah Ocalan delivered a landmark message from prison, urging the PKK to gather for a congress to decide on disarmament and self-dissolution. This message, conveyed by leading members of a pro-Kurdish party, represents a new peace initiative intended to put an end to a conflict that has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties.
Omer Celik, the spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, emphasized the expectation for all groups connected to the PKK to heed this call. “Whether identified as PKK, YPG, or PYD, all extensions of this terrorist entity must dissolve,” Celik stated, referencing the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units and its political arm. “We aim for the complete dissolution of the organization’s elements in Iraq and Syria.”
Celik emphasized, “At this juncture, we proclaim it is time to realize the vision of a terror-free Turkey.” However, the PKK’s leadership, stationed in northern Iraq, has yet to formally respond to Ocalan’s proposal.
In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurds, which includes the YPG, received Ocalan’s disarmament call positively, viewing it as a chance to cultivate peace and foster constructive relationships in the area. The SDF’s commander clarified in a press briefing that Ocalan’s proposition was directed at the PKK and bore “no connection to our forces.”
The renewed peace movement between the PKK and the Turkish government began in October, championed by President Erdogan’s coalition ally, Devlet Bahceli. This far-right leader proposed that Ocalan might be eligible for parole, contingent upon his group’s renouncement of violence and its dissolution.
President Erdogan remarked that Ocalan’s directive to the PKK has ushered the peace efforts spearheaded by Bahceli into “a new phase.” “This marks a pivotal opportunity to dismantle the wall of terror separating the millennia-old unity of Turkish and Kurdish people,” Erdogan noted.
Erdogan also cautioned against potential disruptions to the peace process. “We will exercise utmost vigilance against any provocations during this undertaking and instate all necessary precautions,” he asserted.
Abdullah Ocalan, now 75, has been incarcerated on the island of Imrali, near Istanbul, since 1999 following a conviction for treason. Despite his imprisonment, Ocalan maintains considerable sway over the PKK, the organization he established in 1978. Since 1984, the group has orchestrated an insurgency in southeastern Turkey. The PKK is officially recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Previous attempts at peace with the PKK have collapsed, with the most recent failure occurring in 2015.
