The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) may declare its dissolution “at any moment” as part of the ongoing Kurdish peace initiative, according to a statement by Ayşegül Doğan, spokesperson for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.
“PKK may declare at any moment that the congress has convened. We are waiting for this historic step and decision with great seriousness,” she said during a press briefing today at the party's headquarters.
Her statement follows a Feb 27 call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who urged the group to disarm and dissolve following several meetings with a DEM Party delegation. Shortly afterward, the PKK announced a ceasefire.
“We welcomed that decision with great satisfaction,” Doğan said. “We said then, as we do now, that politics has a major responsibility to ensure the complete elimination of arms. Everyone must act with courage.”
She also referenced President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s earlier remarks that political actors have a significant role to play. “As DEM Party, we reiterate our readiness. We are prepared to carry out our responsibilities with determination for a democratic Turkey,” she said.
PKK executive says Öcalan must oversee disarmament process
PKK reveals congress
Shortly after Doğan's press conference, the PKK has released a written statement, revealing that it had already held its congress between May 5-7.
However, the group stopped short of declaring disarmament and rather stated that the results of the congress would be shared in the coming days.
According to the PKK’s announcement, the congress was held in response to Öcalan’s call and included discussions of his proposals.
The militant group said it had adopted decisions “of historic importance” concerning the group’s future but did not elaborate on the content. “The full results and documents of the 12th PKK Congress will be shared with the public soon after outcomes from both congress locations are consolidated."
The PKK also paid tribute to Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a senior DEM Party figure and a key interlocutor in the ongoing peace process, who passed away on May 3. “We remember Sırrı Süreyya Önder with respect and gratitude,” the group said, calling on supporters to honor his legacy and continue the struggle for Öcalan’s "physical freedom."
Background
The ongoing developments are part of a new peace initiative launched in October by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Bahçeli suggested that Öcalan could be granted access to “right to hope,” a legal pathway that could lead to release, in exchange for dissolving the PKK.
Since then, DEM Party delegations have held multiple meetings with Öcalan, following years of restrictions his access to the outside world. Following the meeting on Feb 27, Öcalan called on the PKK was urged to lay down arms after four decades of armed insurgency.
In response, the group stated that it would abide by the call if and when Öcalan is granted the right to hope, namely opportunity to manage the peace process from outside prison.
Founded in 1978, the PKK began its armed insurgency in Turkey in 1985. While it was originally established to create an independent socialist Kurdistan, the group shifted its goal in the late 1990s to advocating for equal citizenship and democracy within Turkey. (VK)
