Ocalan's call for peace and the regional variable in favour of Turkiye

An Iraqi Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing the portrait of the founder of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan as people gather at Freedom Park, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on February 27, 2025
[SHWAN MOHAMMED/AFP via Getty Images]
by Dr Amer Al-Hazeel
by Dr Amer Al-Hazeel
March 4, 2025
MEMO
The Kurdish issue is viewed as a thorny and multi-dimensional issue, as it includes conflicts extending across four countries: Iraq, Iran, Turkiye and Syria. In all of these countries, the Kurds are striving to fulfil their right to self-determination by establishing an independent state.
Shortly after the change of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, the Kurds were satisfied with a degree of autonomous self-rule. In Turkiye, Abdullah Ocalan and his comrades founded the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 1978, demanding the establishment of a Kurdish state. In 1984, Ocalan announced the start of the armed struggle against Ankara, which prompted Turkiye and its NATO allies to designate the party as a terrorist organisation. Turkiye arrested Ocalan in 1999 and sentenced him to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison.
In a surprise move last week, Ocalan took advantage of a visit by a delegation of MPs from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) to his prison and called on all armed groups to lay down their arms and dissolve the PKK. He stressed that he bears “historical responsibility for this call and decision.”
This reflects Ocalan’s deep understanding of geopolitical changes and Turkiye’s growing regional role, especially with the expansion of its influence in Syria after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. It also aligns with internal pressures, as many Kurdish factions express their desire to move from an armed to political struggle.
These developments also come at a time when the Turkish government has begun to reconsider its policies towards the Kurds, especially considering the ongoing crises in the region and the regional role that Turkiye seeks to play through its alliance with the new Syrian regime led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
The bottom line is that Ocalan realised that continuing the armed struggle under the current regional and global circumstances could destroy any chance of achieving the Kurds’ goals. As such, his call was made to confirm their readiness to participate in a serious peace process that guarantees the Kurds their civil rights.
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his belief that “the efforts for a terror-free Turkiye… have entered a new phase.” He emphasised his chief duty to promote an inclusive climate that embraces all groups. He also expressed his willingness to consider the possibility of releasing Ocalan to be an effective partner in the national reconciliation efforts.
If this step is taken, it could play a pivotal role in changing the behaviour of the US- and Israeli-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which would contribute to facilitating the Syrian reconciliation process. Turkiye will certainly be the biggest winner if it succeeds in thwarting the Israeli desires aimed at creating a Druze-Kurdish “Salah al-Din Canton”, which would separate Syria from Jordan on the southern border. It would also prevent their unification as a strong state allied with Turkiye, which greatly worries Israel given its growing role on its northern border and in the region.
This article first appeared in Arabic in Arab28 on 3 March 2025
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
The Kurdish issue is viewed as a thorny and multi-dimensional issue, as it includes conflicts extending across four countries: Iraq, Iran, Turkiye and Syria. In all of these countries, the Kurds are striving to fulfil their right to self-determination by establishing an independent state.
Shortly after the change of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, the Kurds were satisfied with a degree of autonomous self-rule. In Turkiye, Abdullah Ocalan and his comrades founded the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 1978, demanding the establishment of a Kurdish state. In 1984, Ocalan announced the start of the armed struggle against Ankara, which prompted Turkiye and its NATO allies to designate the party as a terrorist organisation. Turkiye arrested Ocalan in 1999 and sentenced him to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison.
In a surprise move last week, Ocalan took advantage of a visit by a delegation of MPs from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) to his prison and called on all armed groups to lay down their arms and dissolve the PKK. He stressed that he bears “historical responsibility for this call and decision.”
This reflects Ocalan’s deep understanding of geopolitical changes and Turkiye’s growing regional role, especially with the expansion of its influence in Syria after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. It also aligns with internal pressures, as many Kurdish factions express their desire to move from an armed to political struggle.
These developments also come at a time when the Turkish government has begun to reconsider its policies towards the Kurds, especially considering the ongoing crises in the region and the regional role that Turkiye seeks to play through its alliance with the new Syrian regime led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
The bottom line is that Ocalan realised that continuing the armed struggle under the current regional and global circumstances could destroy any chance of achieving the Kurds’ goals. As such, his call was made to confirm their readiness to participate in a serious peace process that guarantees the Kurds their civil rights.
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his belief that “the efforts for a terror-free Turkiye… have entered a new phase.” He emphasised his chief duty to promote an inclusive climate that embraces all groups. He also expressed his willingness to consider the possibility of releasing Ocalan to be an effective partner in the national reconciliation efforts.
If this step is taken, it could play a pivotal role in changing the behaviour of the US- and Israeli-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which would contribute to facilitating the Syrian reconciliation process. Turkiye will certainly be the biggest winner if it succeeds in thwarting the Israeli desires aimed at creating a Druze-Kurdish “Salah al-Din Canton”, which would separate Syria from Jordan on the southern border. It would also prevent their unification as a strong state allied with Turkiye, which greatly worries Israel given its growing role on its northern border and in the region.
This article first appeared in Arabic in Arab28 on 3 March 2025
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
PKK declares ceasefire with Turkiye after Ocalan's calls for peace
March 2, 2025

A protester waves a flag bearing a portrait of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) jailed in Turkey since 1999, during a demonstration calling for his release in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria on February 15, 2025
March 2, 2025

A protester waves a flag bearing a portrait of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) jailed in Turkey since 1999, during a demonstration calling for his release in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria on February 15, 2025
[SOULEIMAN / AFP/Getty Images]

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group has declared a ceasefire with Turkiye, accepting the call of their imprisoned leader to lay down their arms and drop their decades-long fight against the Turkish state.
On Thursday, Abdullah Ocalan – the leader of the PKK who has been imprisoned on a Turkish island for the past 25 years – issued a statement calling for his Kurdish separatist group’s “laying down of arms, and I take on the historical responsibility of this call”.
His statement, which was made in a letter revealed by members of Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM party, also expressed the leader’s desire for the PKK to hold a congress in which they formally agree to dissolve the group
Who is Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish militant leader urging peace with Turkiye?
Following that call by the 75-year-old Ocalan, the PKK’s executive committee on Saturday issued its own statement broadcast by its ANF news outlet, saying that “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 group assured that “none of our forces will take armed action unless attacked”.
The group confirmed that “we agree with the content of the call as it is and we say that we will follow and implement it”, but added some conditions it expects to be carried out within that goal. Those include the demand for Ocalan himself to “personally direct and lead it for the success of the congress”.
The PKK also urged for the easing of Ocalan’s prison conditions, stating that he “must be able to live and work in physical freedom and be able to establish unhindered relationships with anyone he wants, including his friends.”
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group has declared a ceasefire with Turkiye, accepting the call of their imprisoned leader to lay down their arms and drop their decades-long fight against the Turkish state.
On Thursday, Abdullah Ocalan – the leader of the PKK who has been imprisoned on a Turkish island for the past 25 years – issued a statement calling for his Kurdish separatist group’s “laying down of arms, and I take on the historical responsibility of this call”.
His statement, which was made in a letter revealed by members of Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM party, also expressed the leader’s desire for the PKK to hold a congress in which they formally agree to dissolve the group
Who is Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish militant leader urging peace with Turkiye?
Following that call by the 75-year-old Ocalan, the PKK’s executive committee on Saturday issued its own statement broadcast by its ANF news outlet, saying that “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 group assured that “none of our forces will take armed action unless attacked”.
The group confirmed that “we agree with the content of the call as it is and we say that we will follow and implement it”, but added some conditions it expects to be carried out within that goal. Those include the demand for Ocalan himself to “personally direct and lead it for the success of the congress”.
The PKK also urged for the easing of Ocalan’s prison conditions, stating that he “must be able to live and work in physical freedom and be able to establish unhindered relationships with anyone he wants, including his friends.”
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