Turkey: Disarming the PKK Is a Chance for a Terror-Free Future
Reuters quoted an unnamed Turkish official as saying that the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) represents “an irreversible turning point” and a genuine opportunity for a future free of terrorism.
On Friday, a group of PKK militants, part of the banned organization, symbolically handed over and destroyed some of their weapons near a cave in northern Iraq. This historic step follows the group’s decision to lay down arms after more than four decades of rebellion against the Turkish state.
“We view this development as an irreversible turning point… and a chance to protect innocent lives and build a terror-free future,” the Turkish official stated, adding that Ankara will support disarmament, stability, and lasting reconciliation in the region.
The disarmament ceremony marks a major milestone in the PKK’s transition from armed insurgency to democratic political engagement, as part of broader efforts to end one of the region’s longest and bloodiest conflicts, which has claimed over 40,000 lives since 1984.
Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK officially announced its dissolution and disarmament on May 12, thus ending a conflict that had long strained relations between the Turkish authorities, the Kurdish minority, and neighboring countries.
This move came in response to a call made by Öcalan on February 27 from his prison cell on Imrali Island off the coast of Istanbul. On March 1, the PKK — designated a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies — had already declared a unilateral ceasefire.
Over the past decade, most PKK fighters had retreated to the mountainous regions of northern Iraq, where Turkey has maintained military bases and launched regular operations against them for the last 25 years.
This development represents a key step in indirect negotiations ongoing since October between Öcalan and Ankara, mediated under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The People’s Equality and Democracy Party, the third-largest political force in Turkey, has played a pivotal role in mediating between the government and Öcalan, who has been serving a life sentence since 1999.
In a video dated June 19 but released Wednesday, the 76-year-old Kurdish leader stated: “To fulfill our commitments, a disarmament mechanism must be established… paving the way for a voluntary end to armed struggle and a shift toward legal, democratic politics.”
He added, “Appropriate measures will be taken quickly to make disarmament effective.”
President Erdoğan told reporters Saturday on his return from an economic summit in Azerbaijan that “the peace process will accelerate once the terrorist organization starts implementing its disarmament decision.”
Speaking again Wednesday before members of his ruling party, he said, “We are entering a new phase in which we will hear positive developments soon,” expressing hope that the process would conclude swiftly, without sabotage or violence.
Turkey’s Kurdish population hopes the PKK’s decision will pave the way for a political resolution with Ankara and lead to renewed openness toward the Kurdish minority, which makes up around 20% of the country’s 85 million citizens.
