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In a historic development, The jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan has made a call for the party to lay down its arms, dissolve itself and end its conflict with the Turkish state.
Ocalan handed over the statement to a delegation of Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party who was visiting him in the island prison where he has been held since 1999. The statement was later delivered in nearby Istanbul.
“I am making a call for the laying down of arms, and I take on the historical responsibility of this call,” Ocalan said in the letter.
“Convene your [party] congress and make a decision. All groups must lay down their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself,” he continued.
“Respect for identities, free self-expression, democratic self-organisation of each segment of society based on their own socio-economic and political structures, are only possible through the existence of a democratic society and political space,” Ocalan said in his letter.
The PKK is designated as a “terrorist” organisation by Turkiye and its Western allies. The conflict between Turkey and the group has been ongoing for over 46 years with tens of thousands of casualties.
Commenting on the announcement, Turkey’s ruling AK Party Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala said that his country will be “free of its shackles” if the PKK lays down arms and dissolves.
Ala added the government expected the PKK to comply with Ocalan’s call.
Later, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ocalan’s appeal for the PKK to disband and disarm was a “historic opportunity”.
“We have a historic opportunity to advance towards the objective of destroying the wall of terror”, Erdogan said a day after the jailed PKK founder’s statement.
Erdogan added that Turkey would “keep a close watch” to make sure the talks to end the rebellion were “brought to a successful conclusion”, warning against any “provocations”.
Responding to Ocalan’s call, the PKK declared it will implement a ceasefire with Turkey.
“In order to pave the way for the implementation of leader Apo’s [Ocalan’s] call for peace and democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective from today,” the PKK executive committee said in a statement released on March 1.
“We agree with the content of the call as it is, and we say that we will follow and implement it,” the committee said.
“None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,” it added.
The group hoped thst Ankara would release Ocalan so he could lead a disarmament, adding that political and democratic conditions need to be established for the process to succeed.
Turkey’s neighbour Iraq has welcomed Ocalan’s call, saying it was “a positive and important step towards achieving stability in the region”.
However in Syria, Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control the northeast of the country, said that the call did not apply to the group he leads.
Abdi’s comment signalled Ocalan’s call would have no immediate impact on the SDF despite the affiliation of the main Kurdish groups at the core of the SDF – the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – to the PKK.
“If there is peace in Turkey, that means there is no excuse to keep attacking us here in Syria,” Abdi noted.
All in All, Ocalan’s call offers Turkey a real chance to end the conflict with the PKK once and for all. However, there is still many obstacles ahead, like the lack of trust and the conflict in Syria.
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the kurd won’t like this.
they only were able to fight due to secret western support. just like ukriane without the money and support the fight ends cause it becomes pointless.
oh rubbish what do you think oils free ,the military are charities donating their time and weapons fall from heaven on santa’s sleigh.?
what you can play with empty hand and desk? what’s next so ?
*table to be more pr.
i entirely ay down for mulattos in amerikan gay bars
and there is part one of the reward for selling out palastine and the south of syria and lebanon as well as recently switching to the eu camp to support ukraines claim to crimea. part two will be to let them take the zangekur corridor and perhaps all of armenia to unite with azerbeydshan and bring nato to the caspian cost.
you mean to spread ww3. your idea of a good outcome
i dont say this is a good thing. i just said this is the deal the turks seem to have gotten with the west. thats what putin gets for trusting erdogan.
i ve always quoted “never trust anybody “queen mum .
oh wow, just ask us to lay down our weapons. why didn’t ask that earlier. yeah not going to happen. apo in jail for 26 years and a gun pointed at his head so his words are worth nothing. also not sure what kurds will get in return. there are millions of apos willing to continue the fight. this is just a show to win over kurdish votes. practically it wont change anything but we just play along for the show.
elon musk today said : usa will exit from nato.
its best idea.
the united states should distance itself from turkey.
turkey is hamas, hizbullah supporter . trump says, turkey has no place at nato as hamas supporter and as israel enemy. soon erdogan will be kicked out from nato and turkey will has no place in nato 2.0 alliance..
correct without anerica as their barracks the 10 crowned heads of europe are very disadvantaged.
hitler went to jail too. and guess what after 26 years he might have actually changed his mind of his own accord he might have grown up.
a “historic” moment like this deserves a comment, yet all i can say is lol. this pkk insurgency was barely existent at this point anyway… in accordance with the israeli plans they were moved to syria and iraq in order to not make trouble for the zionist entity of erdoganistan.
i’ve never heard anything about them so they’re street theatre imo.
just proving his utterly ridiculous it all is .unbelievable really .
the zionists are proud of thier achievements . dancing in isreal .
elon musk today said : usa will exit from nato.
its best idea.
the united states should distance itself from turkey.
turkey is hamas, hizbullah supporter . trump says, turkey has no place at nato as hamas supporter and as israel enemy. soon erdogan will be kicked out from nato and turkey will has no place in nato 2.0 alliance. trump do not want dark islamist country in nato and erdogan said i will send my army to israel. trump deleted erdogan like zelensky.
no trumps clever musks business partners with prince mbs in x
so they say they will comply with the terms of the request, then merely declare a ceasefire, announcing their intention to defend themselves if attacked. in other words, they do not intend to disarm and disband, as was asked.
after 26 years in jail, unless he’s often in the media how do they even know who he really is 26 years is ample time to find a doppelganger