The PKK, which banned Kurdish groups, has been in a 40-year rebellion against Turkey, which has laying its arms and announced it has been disbanding.
The move followed a call in February of the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to break up.
The PKK rebellion initially aimed to create an independent homeland for the Kurds, which make up about 20% of the Turkish population. But it has since moved away from the separatist goals, instead focusing on more autonomy and greater Kurdish rights.
More than 40,000 people have been killed since the rebellion began.
The PKK, which is banned as a terrorist group in the Türkiye, the EU, the UK and the US, said it has “completed its historical mission” and “ends the way of armed struggle.”
From now on, the Kurdish name can be “resolved through democratic politics,” the group said in a statement published in an ANF news agency, which is affiliated with the PKK.
In February, 76-year-old Okaran asked for a movement to throw away his arms and melt himself. PKK leaders have been locked up in solitary cells in prison on the Marmara Sea Island, southwest of Istanbul.
“There is no alternative to democracy in pursuing and realizing a political system. Democracy consensus is a fundamental way,” Ocaran wrote from prison in February.
It is unclear what Okaran and his supporters will get in return for the breakup, but there is speculation that he may be parole.
Kurdish politicians want new political dialogues and a path to greater Kurdish rights.
Both sides had a reason to trade now.
The PKK has been hit hard by the Turkish troops in recent years, and changes in the region have made it difficult for them and their affiliates to operate in Iraq and Syria.
President Erdogan needs the support of Prokurd’s political parties if he can run again in Turkey’s next presidential election scheduled for 2028.
According to a Reuters press, the decision to break up is a critical step towards a “terror-free turkey” and the process will be monitored by state agencies, said an AK party spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the decision, saying that if the PKK decision was implemented, it would mark an important step towards peace.
Brussels urged “every party to seize the moment,” but Syrian top diplomat Assad al-Shaibani called it a “pivotal moment” of “stable stability throughout our region,” AFP news agency reported.
Winslokrojers of Chatham House, an international affairs think tank, said a “major democratic transition by Turkey” was necessary to respond to requests from Kurdish political parties.
Rogers has allowed the PKK breakup to unfold, Rogers said there was “good intention” from several Turkish leaders.
He added: “However, it is not so clear whether it will take the major changes necessary to ensure full Kurdish participation in politics and society.
“In many ways, the ball is in the Turkish court.”
