PKK militant group says it reached 'historic' decisions, without
confirming disbandment
[May 10, 2025]
By SUZAN FRASER
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A militant Kurdish group announced on Friday that
it had made “historic” decisions during its long-awaited congress
earlier this week. The group, however, stopped short of saying whether
it had resolved to disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative
with Turkey aimed at ending the four-decade insurgency.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, held a congress in two locations
in northern Iraq between May 5-7, according to a statement carried by
the Firat News Agency, a media organization close to the banned group.
The PKK said the historic decisions taken during the congress would be
shared with the public soon.
In February, the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called on his
group to convene a congress to dissolve itself and disarm to end the
conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
The group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and
most Western states, announced a ceasefire days later but had set
conditions to disband, including the establishment of a legal mechanism
for peace talks.
During the congress, statements by Ocalan outlining his “perspectives
and proposals” were read, according to Firat news. Turkey's Haberturk
broadcaster said the congress convened in Suleymaniyah and Duhok, in
northern Iraq where the PKK's leadership is thought to be based.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey expects the PKK to respond
“positively” to Ocalan's call to dissolve but said an announcement was
not imminent.
“It seems that we will have to wait a little longer to hear the
organization’s response to this historic call," he told Turkey's 24 news
channel in an interview.
“This is not an easy decision for the organization," he added,
suggesting possible disagreements among factions within the PKK.
Earlier, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, DEM, which is involved in the peace
effort, said the PKK could declare its decision “at any moment.”
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Youngsters hold a photograph of the jailed leader of the rebel
Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, Abdullah Ocalan as they gather to
watch live on a tv screen a Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and
Democracy Party, or DEM, delegation members releasing an statement
from Ocalan, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP
Photo/Metin Yoksu, File)
“We, too, are awaiting this historic step, this historic decision,”
DEM party spokeswoman Aysegul Dogan said.
In a later statement, the DEM party described the PKK’s congress as
a turning point toward peace, and paid tribute to all lives lost
during the conflict.
The party also said Turkey’s parliament and other institutions would
have a significant role to play toward peace and democratization.
“A new page is opening on the path to an honorable peace and a
democratic solution,” the party said.
The statement added: “We believe that, following this historic
turning point, all democratic political institutions — especially
the Grand National Assembly of Turkey — must take responsibility for
solving the Kurdish issue and ensuring Turkey’s true
democratization.”
The latest peace initiative was launched in October by Devlet
Bahceli, a far-right Turkish politician who suggested that Ocalan,
who is imprisoned on an island off Istanbul, could be granted parole
if his group renounces violence and disbands.
The DEM party statement also honored Sirri Sureyya Onder, a party
legislator who was a key figure in the latest effort of peace, and
who died last week.
Onder and other DEM party officials visited Ocalan on Imrali island
where he is serving a life sentence several times, as part of the
peace effort.
Previous peace efforts between Turkey and the group have ended in
failure — most recently in 2015.
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