By:TII team
Date: March 1, 2025
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, January 15, 2025. Photo: AK Party/X
ISTANBUL,— Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Abdullah Ocalan’s recent call for the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) to disband and disarm as a “historic opportunity” for Turkey.
Following Ocalan’s statement on Thursday, in which he urged the PKK to end its armed struggle, Erdogan emphasized that this was a chance to eliminate what he called “the wall of terror.”
The PKK, which Ankara considers a “terrorist” group, has been engaged in a violent insurgency against the Turkish government for over 40 years.
Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, called for all factions to lay down their arms, and for the PKK to formally dissolve. However, the group’s military leadership has not responded to the appeal.
Erdogan pledged that Turkey would “carefully monitor” the situation and ensure the peace talks aimed at ending the insurgency would succeed. He warned against any “provocations” during this critical time.
“The elimination of the threat of terrorism and weapons will naturally open up space for political dialogue within the democratic process,” Erdogan said, stressing that both Turkish and Kurdish citizens would not tolerate any attempts to derail the peace efforts.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK has resulted in more than 40,000 deaths since it began in 1984. Despite previous peace talks, the conflict has continued, and Erdogan’s government remains firm in its stance against the PKK, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies.
Pro-Kurdish Party Calls for ‘Democratic Solution’ to Conflict
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party has called on the government to seize the opportunity to end the longstanding Kurdish insurgency, urging a commitment to a “democratic solution.”
Tuncer Bakirhan, co-president of the Democratic Party of the Peoples (DEM), said that the Turkish government must show real political will to resolve the Kurdish issue. Speaking in an interview on Friday, Bakirhan emphasized that simply laying down arms was insufficient.
“There is a Kurdish problem that cannot be solved with weapons alone,” Bakirhan told Haberturk TV. “The Kurdish people are waiting for concrete measures toward a democratic resolution.”
The conflict between the Turkish government and the PKK has seen multiple peace attempts falter.
The last peace talks broke down in 2015, and no significant dialogue took place until October 2024, when a nationalist ally of President Erdogan unexpectedly offered a peace gesture, conditioned on Ocalan renouncing violence.
While Erdogan supported the initiative, his government subsequently intensified pressure on opposition groups, leading to the arrest of hundreds of Kurdish politicians, journalists, and activists.
After several meetings with Ocalan, DEM relayed his call for the PKK to lay down its weapons and convene a congress to formally dissolve the organization.
(Credit: AFP)
Copyright © 2025 The Insight International. All rights reserved
ISTANBUL,— Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Abdullah Ocalan’s recent call for the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) to disband and disarm as a “historic opportunity” for Turkey.
Following Ocalan’s statement on Thursday, in which he urged the PKK to end its armed struggle, Erdogan emphasized that this was a chance to eliminate what he called “the wall of terror.”
The PKK, which Ankara considers a “terrorist” group, has been engaged in a violent insurgency against the Turkish government for over 40 years.
Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, called for all factions to lay down their arms, and for the PKK to formally dissolve. However, the group’s military leadership has not responded to the appeal.
Erdogan pledged that Turkey would “carefully monitor” the situation and ensure the peace talks aimed at ending the insurgency would succeed. He warned against any “provocations” during this critical time.
“The elimination of the threat of terrorism and weapons will naturally open up space for political dialogue within the democratic process,” Erdogan said, stressing that both Turkish and Kurdish citizens would not tolerate any attempts to derail the peace efforts.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK has resulted in more than 40,000 deaths since it began in 1984. Despite previous peace talks, the conflict has continued, and Erdogan’s government remains firm in its stance against the PKK, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies.
Pro-Kurdish Party Calls for ‘Democratic Solution’ to Conflict
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party has called on the government to seize the opportunity to end the longstanding Kurdish insurgency, urging a commitment to a “democratic solution.”
Tuncer Bakirhan, co-president of the Democratic Party of the Peoples (DEM), said that the Turkish government must show real political will to resolve the Kurdish issue. Speaking in an interview on Friday, Bakirhan emphasized that simply laying down arms was insufficient.
“There is a Kurdish problem that cannot be solved with weapons alone,” Bakirhan told Haberturk TV. “The Kurdish people are waiting for concrete measures toward a democratic resolution.”
The conflict between the Turkish government and the PKK has seen multiple peace attempts falter.
The last peace talks broke down in 2015, and no significant dialogue took place until October 2024, when a nationalist ally of President Erdogan unexpectedly offered a peace gesture, conditioned on Ocalan renouncing violence.
While Erdogan supported the initiative, his government subsequently intensified pressure on opposition groups, leading to the arrest of hundreds of Kurdish politicians, journalists, and activists.
After several meetings with Ocalan, DEM relayed his call for the PKK to lay down its weapons and convene a congress to formally dissolve the organization.
(Credit: AFP)
Copyright © 2025 The Insight International. All rights reserved
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