(AFP) – The ban on Kurdish extremists on Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkey after calling for the group to end more than 40 years of armed struggle following a call for landmarks by imprisoned PKK leader Abdulla Okaran.
It was the first response from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after Okaran asked for the group to be disbanded this week and asked them to lay weapons.
“We are declaring an effective ceasefire from today to pave the way for the peace of leaders' appointments and implementation of the call to a democratic society,” the PKK Executive Committee said, referring to Okaran and cited by Pro-PKK ANF News Agency.
“We say at this point we agree with the phone and follow it and implement it,” the committee based in northern Iraq said.
“None of our troops will engage in force unless they are attacked,” he added.
Designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the European Union, the PKK has undergone a rebellion since 1984 with the aim of carving the hometown of Kurdish people, which accounts for about 20% of Turkey's 85 million people.
However, these days, groups are seeking more autonomy, cultural and linguistic rights than independence.
Since Ocaran was imprisoned in 1999, there have been various attempts to end the bloodshed, which have cost over 40,000 lives.
After several meetings with Okaran in his island prison, the pro-Kurdish Dem party on Thursday convened the parliament to announce the dissolution of the organization, conveying his appeal for the PKK to lay weapons.
The PKK was ready to convene the assembly as Ocaran had hoped on Saturday, but said, “For this to happen, we need to create a proper safe environment,” while Ocaran said “we must personally direct and lead it for the success of the assembly.”
The group also relaxed the conditions of Ocaran's prison, adding that “we must be able to live and work in physical freedom and be able to establish an unhindered relationship with those who want it.”
Analysts say establishing a ceasefire with the PKK will be beneficial for Türkiye and Syria.
“The peace agreement with the PKK is likely to make it easier to reintegrate and establish more stable Syria,” Anthony Skinner, research director at Marlow Global, told AFP.
“This was an important objective for the Turkish government and had to deal with the ongoing threat of mass migration across borders and terrorism,” he said.
Turkish forces deployed in northern Syria regularly strike in areas controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces, considered “terrorists” associated with the PKK.
Bayram Balci, an analyst at the University of Science Polipali, said the PKK was well aware that it had not received support in the past due to the changes in the context of the region.
“It no longer has Assad's support, it may no longer have strong support from Americans,” he said.
“The Daesh threat is still there, but not as strong as it used to be. And there's a kind of fatigue,” he added, referring to the IS group.
After the final round of peace negotiations collapsed in 2015, there was no contact with the PKK until October.
Erdogan said on Friday that Ocaran's appeal is a “historic opportunity” and that he would confirm that talks to end the rebellion “will reach a successful conclusion” in order for Turkey to “keep the meticulous clock.”
While Erdogan supported the reconciliation, his government pressured the opposition and arrested hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.
Iraq welcomed Okaran's appeal, saying it was a “positive and important step towards achieving stability in the region.”
The PKK presence in Iraq is a recurring source of tensions between Baghdad and Ankara.
The group also maintains military bases and holds positions in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, where Turkey maintains its military bases and is often responsible for ground and aviation services against Kurdish extremists.
