A significant announcement made by the PKK on Monday marks the end of its armed struggle, a move stemming from extensive diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving a long-standing Kurdish conflict that has resulted in numerous casualties over the years.
Following a decade of silence between the PKK and the government, a shift occurred in October when President Erdogan’s nationalist allies unexpectedly proposed a dialogue.
During a speech to Congress on October 22, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli put forth the idea of potentially releasing Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned PKK founder, if he renounced violence and dissolved the organization.
The following day, Ocalan received his first prison visit in over three years at Imrali Prison Island near Istanbul. He indicated that he alone could transform the Kurdish issue from conflict to a political dialogue and promised he would be “ready… to make a call.”
– “Window of Opportunity” –
On October 30, Erdogan backed Bahceli’s initiative, referring to a “historic window of opportunity” in a message directed at “my dear Kurdish brothers.”
In the subsequent months, a small group from the Kurdish opposition party, Dem, was allowed to break Ocalan’s political isolation, visiting him multiple times.
In January, this delegation also met with Serahatin Demirtas, another imprisoned leader of the party.
Later, on February 16, they traveled to Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region to consult with Kurdish leaders.
On February 27, Ocalan issued a call for armed groups to lay down their weapons and disband, assuming historical responsibility for this request. The PKK accepted this appeal two days later and announced an “immediate ceasefire.”
-Via Ocalan VideoLink –
A surge of violence in 2015 led to the breakdown of previous negotiations. Erdogan cautioned that severe consequences would arise if commitments were violated or disarmament delayed.
In the following months, the PKK criticized ongoing Turkish military operations against them, asserting that the violence hindered their ability to engage politically.
Notably, the PKK convened a parliamentary session in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq from May 5-7, where they managed to connect with Ocalan through video conferencing, as reported by Kurdish news agency ANF.
