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The PKK's armed struggle for self-determination and an independent Kurdistan, which began in 1978, appears to be coming to an end. Without achieving its goal, with thousands of victims and Turkey having won, this development can be considered the closing of an important - and perhaps the most threatening - front.
The PKK, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been engaged in an armed struggle for autonomy for Turkey's Kurds for decades, held a historic congress from May 5 to 7, promoting its disbandment.
As the Kurdish-affiliated Firat News Agency (ANF) reported, "the 12th PKK congress convened at the instigation of leader Abdullah Ocalan," adding that it took "decisions of historical importance regarding the PKK's activities, based on Ocalan's appeal."
It is recalled that Abdullah Ocalan, who remains imprisoned on the island of Imrali, on February 27, in a historic statement, called on the armed organization to lay down its arms and decide on its disbandment.
“Convene your congress and decide, as any modern community and party, whose existence has not been abolished by violence, would do voluntarily, that all groups must lay down their arms and the PKK must be disbanded. I send my greetings to all those who believe in coexistence and I eagerly await my call: the PKK must be disbanded. “All groups must lay down their arms,” Abdullah Ocalan had said.
The PKK responded positively on March 1, announcing an immediate ceasefire with Turkish forces.
The conference was held “in the defensive areas” in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, where the PKK’s military command headquarters is located, according to ANF. The PKK pledged to provide the public with “full and detailed information regarding the conference’s results very soon.”
"A historic decision," comments OPEN correspondent Maria Zacharaki, recalling that the 40-year guerrilla war was fought for autonomy or independence. "We still don't know what Erdogan ordered the Kurds to do to make this happen," he notes. Losses on the Turkish side reach 40,000.
This development was also announced earlier today by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying that the PKK would announce that it was ending its armed struggle, according to SKAI's Istanbul correspondent, Manolis Kostidis.
However, in statements at an online press conference, Abdi, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on February 27, clarified that Ocalan's call is only about the PKK and "has no connection with us in Syria."
The SDF has established an autonomous government in the areas of northeastern Syria under its control. Allies of Western countries that formed an international anti-jihadist coalition, these Kurdish forces have been at the forefront of the fight against the Islamic State organization.
DEM statement on the disarmament of the PKK
The statement by the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (DEM) welcomes the historic decisions of the PKK congress (5-7 May), which was convened in response to Abdullah Ocalan's call for disarmament and self-dissolution. According to the DEM, this is an important step after 50 years of armed conflict, bringing Turkey and the Kurds closer to peace and a democratic solution.
Announcement:
-Honors the memory of all victims regardless of identity, emphasizing the need for coexistence, equality and reconciliation.
-Calls on the Turkish parliament and political forces to take responsibility for the Kurdish solution under conditions of democracy and justice.
-Expresses gratitude to Ocalan for his historical contribution and to the political figures who supported the process, such as Bahçeli and Özgür Özel.
-Emphasizes that the success of the peace process depends on the engagement of all institutions, civil society and citizens.
He pledges not to allow actions that will harm the peace process and will remain a defender of equality, democracy and coexistence.
The statement concludes by characterizing the PKK's decision not as an end, but as a new beginning for peace in Turkey and the wider region.
PKK statement
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) confirmed that following Abdullah Ocalan's call and out of respect for "Leader Apo", it made decisions of "historic importance" for the PKK's future action, based on Ocalan's recent call for a peaceful political transition.
The PKK announcement states, among other things, that detailed information on the work and results of the conference will be available soon.
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