Turkiye calls on PKK to hand over arms, urges stability
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls on the PKK to completely disband and surrender arms, signaling a potential new era free of terrorism in the region.
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Turkish President Recep Erdogan arrives at the beginning of a summit where the leaders of 47 European countries and organizations will discuss security, defense and democratic standards, in Tirana, Albania, Friday, May 16, 2025 (AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed the importance of the complete disarmament and dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), describing such steps as essential to ending the group’s "unlawful activities."
Speaking to reporters aboard his return flight from Tirana after attending the sixth summit of the European Political Community, Erdogan stated that "once terrorism is entirely removed from Turkiye’s agenda, a new era will begin." He added that a terrorism-free Turkiye would contribute positively to peace, development, and stability in both Iraq and Syria.
Erdogan also revealed that Ankara was in talks with neighboring countries on mechanisms for disarming militants and facilitating the surrender of weapons outside Turkish borders.
PKK declares dissolution
His comments come days after the PKK officially declared its dissolution and abandonment of armed struggle, responding to an earlier appeal by its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in March to lay down arms.
Öcalan had emphasized his willingness to take full historical responsibility for the call to end the armed conflict.
Founded in 1978 by Ocalan, the Marxist-Leninist group led a militant campaign originally aimed at securing an independent Kurdish state. It later shifted its goals to pursuing greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in southeast Turkey.
Formal end to armed struggle
"The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle," the group said in a statement published by the pro-Kurdish ANF news agency.
"The PKK has completed its historic mission," it pointed out, according to ANF.
The statement indicated that the group's struggle "has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics."
The announcement followed an appeal from Ocalan on February 27. Speaking from Imrali prison island, where he has been held since 1999, Ocalan urged his fighters to disarm and called for a congress to formalize the decision. That congress was held last week in Iraq’s Kandil mountains, long considered a PKK stronghold.
PKK leadership declared a ceasefire and adopted "decisions of historic importance," according to ANF.
Renewed talks and political shifts
The declaration marks the culmination of seven months of renewed dialogue following a proposal in October 2024 by Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Erdogan’s ally.
Bahceli had shocked Ankara by suggesting Ocalan could be released if he ended the PKK’s insurgency.
Erdogan’s AKP supported the initiative, while the pro-Kurdish DEM party held talks with Ocalan in prison. The PKK responded with an immediate ceasefire and expressed willingness to convene a congress, though it requested that security conditions be met so Ocalan could personally oversee the process.
