PKK says unable to safely convene for dissolution amid Turkish attacks
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The PKK says security concerns prevent its leadership from convening to formalize the group's dissolution, despite a call from its jailed founder, Abdullah Ocalan.
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Youngsters hold a photograph of the jailed leader of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, as they gather to watch live on a tv screen a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, delegation members releasing an statement from Ocalan, in Diyarbakir, Turkiye, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 (AP)
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) pointed out that it is currently "impossible" for its leadership to convene and formally dissolve the group, as requested by its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan, due to security concerns, Kurdish media reported on Friday.
"Every day (Turkish) reconnaissance planes are flying overhead, they are carrying out daily bombings and every day they are attacking," PKK co-leader Cemil Bayik told the Kurdish television station, Sterk TV.
"Holding a congress in these conditions is impossible and very dangerous," he stressed.
Bayik's remarks come two weeks after Ocalan called on the PKK to disarm and disband, effectively ending its decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, primarily among Kurdish civilians.
Ocalan’s appeal, delivered through a letter, urged the PKK to hold a congress to formalize the decision. Two days later, the group announced a ceasefire and expressed willingness to convene a congress but insisted that a "suitable secure environment" was necessary, emphasizing that Ocalan should personally oversee the process.
On Thursday, Bayik reiterated that the congress would take place "if the conditions were fulfilled," according to the PKK-affiliated ANF news agency.
For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged the PKK to act on Ocalan’s call, stating, "The organisation should take this as a basis and start the process of dissolving itself."
PKK leadership is currently based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority region of northern Iraq, where Turkish forces have repeatedly carried out airstrikes in recent years. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union.
Despite discussions surrounding disarmament, Turkish military operations against the PKK have continued. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against any stalling tactics, stating on March 1, "If the promises given are not kept and an attempt is made to delay... we will continue our ongoing operations... until we eliminate the last terrorist."
On Wednesday, Erdogan expressed willingness to meet with representatives from the pro-Kurdish DEM party—an intermediary in past negotiations between Ocalan and Ankara—if they requested it. The party confirmed that a meeting had been requested, but no date has been set.
Read more: Erdogan ally demands disarmament of PKK-affiliated groups
