Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has welcomed a call from imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband and disarm as a historic opportunity to advance towards destroying the “wall of terror”. The appeal was made in a recent message from prison, which Ocalan’s pro-Kurdish supporters are interpreting as an effort to end decades-long conflict between Turkey and the PKK.
Ocalan’s call for a congress to discuss disbanding the group has been largely met with skepticism by Ankara, which considers the PKK a terrorist organization. Erdogan said that Turkey would “keep a close watch” on any talks to end the rebellion but warned against provocations.
The Turkish government has already urged affiliates of the PKK in Iraq and Syria to dissolve and disarm. Senior members of Erdogan’s ruling AK Party have demanded similar action from groups associated with the PKK, including those outside of Turkey.
Reactions from regional players have been mixed, with some welcoming Ocalan’s call for peace as an opportunity to build relations. However, critics say that the Turkish state has not done enough to grant rights to Kurds in the country. A new effort for peace was initiated last month by Erdogan’s coalition partner, and it remains to be seen if this will lead to a successful outcome.
Erdogan believes that when terrorist groups are eliminated, space for politics and democracy can expand. The fate of Ocalan’s group now rests in the hands of the government, which must take immediate steps towards democratisation to address the demands of pro-Kurdish activists.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/28/erdogan-says-pkk-leaders-call-to-disband-a-historic-opportunity