Int’l community sees Öcalan’s call to PKK as opportunity to end decades-long conflict

The international community has welcomed jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) founder Abdullah Öcalan’s call for the militant group to lay down its arms, with leaders and organizations expressing hope for lasting peace and stability in the region with the end of a decades-long conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK.

In a landmark declaration read out in İstanbul on Thursday, Öcalan called for his Kurdish militant group to lay down its arms and disband.

“All armed groups must lay down their arms and the PKK must disband,” the 75-year-old said in a declaration read out by a delegation of lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) who visited him in prison earlier in the day.

The German foreign ministry welcomed Öcalan’s statement, saying it offered a chance to end decades of conflict while calling for steps to expand the rights of Turkey’s Kurdish population.

Founded by Öcalan in 1978, the PKK has led a bloody war in Turkey’s southeast since 1984. The group is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.

“An end to the violence is the important first step, but further steps are needed. … This includes, above all, respecting and guaranteeing the cultural and democratic rights of Kurds in Turkey,” a German foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. “As the federal government, we are ready to do what we can to support such a process.”

In his message Öcalan did not specify what steps, if any, the Turkish government would take to address Kurdish demands for broader political and cultural rights. He also did not mention any preconditions for the PKK to lay down its arms.

A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing Britain’s support for peace efforts.

“We welcome progress towards peace and security for the people of Turkey, a close NATO ally and longstanding partner in counterterrorism. We encourage all parties to engage in a peaceful and constructive process that ensures security, stability and respect for the rule of law.”

“The UK remains committed to supporting efforts that reduce conflict and promote stability both in Turkey and across the wider region,” the spokesperson added.

The United States also responded positively, with the National Security Council (NSC) describing Öcalan’s call as a “significant development.”

“… we hope that it will help assuage our Turkish allies about US counter-ISIS partners in northeast Syria,” the NSC said, referring to Turkey’s uneasiness about the presence of Kurdish militant groups in northeast Syria, which are US allies in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Turkey sees these groups an extension of the PKK.

“We believe it will help bring peace to this troubled region.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the development, calling it a “glimmer of hope” that will help resolve the decades-long conflict.

“The secretary-general welcomes this important development,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters. “This represents a glimmer of hope which would lead to a resolution of a long-standing conflict.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement on Friday that Tehran views the move as “an important step toward renouncing violence.”

He added that Iran “welcomes any process that leads to stopping terrorism and strengthening security in neighboring Turkey,” expressing hope that it “will also have positive effects in the region.”

Iran has long accused various Kurdish militant groups of inciting unrest and carrying out operations within its borders.

In March 2023, Iran signed a security agreement with Iraq aimed at disarming rebel groups and removing them from border areas.

Öcalan has been serving a life sentence without parole on İmralı Island since his arrest in Nairobi in February 1999.

Since his detention there have been various attempts to end the bloodshed that erupted in 1984 and has cost more than 40,000 lives. The last round of talks collapsed in a storm of violence in 2015.