Imprisoned PKK Leader Urges Group to Disarm and End Conflict with Turkey | PKK News

BREAKINGBREAKING,

In a historic move, Abdullah Ocalan has asked his party to ‘lay down arms’ and dissolve itself, according to a statement.

Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has urged his party to lay down its arms and dissolve itself, a significant development that could mark the end of its 40-year conflict with Turkey and have far-reaching implications for the region.

A delegation from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party visited Ocalan on Thursday at his island prison and later shared his statement in Istanbul.

“I am calling for the laying down of arms, and I take full historical responsibility for this call,” Ocalan stated in a letter released by DEM Party members.

Ocalan has requested that his party hold a congress and formally agree to disband, according to the delegation.

“Convene your congress and make a decision. All groups must lay down their arms, and the PKK must dissolve itself,” Ocalan said, as quoted in the statement.

The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.

Since the PKK launched its armed struggle in 1984 with the aim of establishing an independent Kurdish state, over 40,000 people have been killed. While the group has since shifted its objectives away from separatism, instead advocating for greater autonomy and Kurdish rights in southeastern Turkey, factions linked to the PKK have continued to carry out sporadic attacks in the country.

Ocalan’s appeal could have significant consequences for northern Iraq, a major oil-exporting region where the PKK is headquartered, as well as for neighboring Syria, which is recovering from 13 years of civil war and the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad in December.

A peace process between Turkey and the PKK collapsed a decade ago.

Ocalan’s groundbreaking announcement is part of a renewed peace initiative between the group and the Turkish government. This effort was initiated in October by Devlet Bahceli, the leader of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s coalition partner. Bahceli, a nationalist politician, suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands.