New Turkiye peace agreement will see Kurdish-Kurdian militant group disbanded
Kurdish Militant Kurdish Workers' Party announced on Monday that it would dissolve and dismantle part of a new peace plan with Turkiye, ending forty years of armed conflict.
The PKK decision has pledged to end one of the longest rebellions in the Middle East and could have a significant impact on Turkurkiy, Syria and Iraq, a media outlet close to the group. A few days after the PKK party convened its party congress in northern Iraq.
In February, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdish Workers' Democratic Party, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group to convene the parliament and formally decide to dissolve it.
Ocalan, 76, calls have played a significant role in the Kurdish movement despite being sentenced to 25 years in prison, marking a critical step toward ending the decade-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
The PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire on March 1 based on momentum, but with conditions, including the establishment of a legal framework for peace negotiations.
The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK spread to northern Iraq and northern Syria, and Turkiye carried out many invasions into neighboring areas. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye and its Western allies.
PKK says the group has completed its “historical mission”
The PKK announced its decision to end its “organizational structure” in a statement issued by Firat News, indicating that its armed struggle has successfully challenged policies that attempt to curb Kurdish rights.
The statement said Congress evaluated the PKK struggle “to make the Kurdish problem resolve the resolution aspects through democratic politics, thus fulfilling its historical mission.”
“The activities carried out under the name of 'PKK' are therefore officially terminated,” the statement said.
Turkiye’s council welcomes the announcement “a significant step towards the terror-free turkey goal.”
“If terrorism is completely eliminated, it will open the door to a new era,” Omer Celik, spokesman for the Presidential Party of Recep Erdogan, wrote on the X social media platform.
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Turkiye officially changed its internationally recognized name in 2022, but the spelling of Türkiye and Turkey remains common due to the implementation of this change.
Turkiye said the decision should apply to all PKK branches
However, Selik said the decision must apply to all “PKK branches, branches and illegal structures”. He did not elaborate, but the statement appears to refer to Syria's Kurdish fighters who have ties to the PKK and have participated in fierce battles with Turkish-backed forces.
The leader of the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces had previously said Ocalan's call for a ceasefire would not apply to his group in Syria.
Details of the Peace Initiative have not been made public and it is unclear how the process will proceed, including how weapons are handled and who will monitor the procedures.
The future of the KDP fighter jets remains uncertain, including whether they can be relocated to a third country. Any discounts that the PKK may receive have not been disclosed in exchange for its decision to dissolve.
Some analysts suggest that the Kurdish movement may receive some political concessions, including improving conditions in the Okaran prison, release or amnesty, including jailed Kurdish politicians, including Selahattin Demirtas, including former leaders of the country's pro-Kurdish party and assured guarantees against the removal of the mayor from the office.
Peace efforts between Turkiye and the organization (most recently in 2015) ended in failure.
On Monday, dozens of people gathered outside the mosque in the main Kurdish city of Diyarbakir to celebrate the news with traditional Kurdish dance.
Why is the peace initiative being carried out now?
In recent years, the PKK has been limited to isolated attacks within Turkey, as Turkish forces increasingly push PKKK insurgents into the mountains and increasingly enter Iraq, supported by armed drones.
The latest peace initiative was initiated by Erdogan’s alliance partner Devlet Bahceli, a far-right politician who suggested that Ocalan be parole if his group abandons violence and disbands.
Some believe that the main purpose of the reconciliation efforts is to get the Erdogan government to Kurdish support for the new constitution, which will allow him to continue to rule after 2028 by the end of his term.
Bahceli has publicly called for a new constitution, saying Erdogan's continued rule is crucial to Turkiye's future. Erdogan and Bahceli are reportedly seeking pro-Kurdian equality with the Democratic Party or dem parliamentary support.
The PKK manifesto may mark a major gain for Erdogan, whose government responds to political tensions after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is arrested on corruption charges. Many believe that the mayor's imprisonment is the most powerful challenger of the opposition's twenty-year rule of Erdogan, which is politically motivated. The government insists that Turkiye's judiciary operates independently.
Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based EDAM think tank, cited a new peace initiative for domestic and international drivers.
“Domestic drivers can be explained by Erdogan's desire to gain additional support in parliament in order to pave the way for potential candidates for the next presidential election,” Urgen said.
Internationally, factors such as Israel's administrative changes to Syria and Iran's weakening have made the PKK “more vulnerable than in the past.”
“This does not mean that the road is unclear,” Urgen added.
“We’ve seen this dynamic around the world,” Urgen said. “Whether it’s the IRA or other entities that decide to put down their weapons, there is a prospect of splitting, and a wing that meets the target, but the more radical wing continues to fight.”
