Ocalan calls for PKK to disband amid hope for new peace talks
Abdullah Ocalan has called on the militants to lay down their arms and disband the organisation. The move by the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) could bring an end to the 40-year rebellion against Turkey.
This appeal was conveyed by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), which read Ocalan's letter. In the published letter, the PKK leader emphasised the necessity for all factions within the organisation to disarm.
- The PKK must dissolve - urged Ocalan.
Possible resumption of peace talks
There are signs in Turkey suggesting a possible resumption of peace talks between the authorities and the PKK. In the past, such negotiations have been conducted but did not yield the expected outcomes. The conflict, lasting 40 years, has claimed the lives of about 40,000 people. The PKK is recognised as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
The PKK rebellion against the Turkish state has persisted for four decades and its effects are felt both within Turkey and beyond its borders. Turkish authorities, the EU and the USA classify the PKK as a terrorist organisation, which complicates the peace process. Nevertheless, the emerging signs of a possible return to negotiations give hope for ending the conflict.
