 to lay down its arms immediately, following jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan’s appeal on February 27 urging the group's disbanding, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.){kind=link}
Turkey’s defense minister on Saturday renewed calls for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down its arms immediately, following jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan’s appeal on February 27 urging the group’s disbanding, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler’s statement followed a recent call by imprisoned PKK leader Öcalan for the group to permanently cease armed operations and initiate steps toward disbanding itself.
Referring to Öcalan’s statement indirectly, Güler claimed it was noteworthy but “late,” claiming the PKK “has come to understand that terrorism cannot lead to anything, that it has run its course.”
He stressed Turkey’s ultimate objective was “to end terrorism, completely eliminate terrorist organizations and eradicate any threats to the country,” adding that any attempts at sabotage or prolongation of the process would not be tolerated.
Güler said all factions linked to the PKK, regardless of location or name, must “immediately make the decision to disband and surrender their weapons unconditionally and without delay,” a reference to the situation in Syria. Turkey insists that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), must lay down their arms and expel all its foreign fighters from Syrian territory. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the PKK.
Ankara said this week it will closely follow the recent agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF to integrate the Kurdish autonomous administration into Syria’s national structures.
Turkish forces have conducted several military operations against the YPG in Syria since 2016, describing the group’s presence near its border as a national security threat.
Güler’s statement followed remarks by senior PKK leader Cemil Bayık, who on Friday said meeting safely to discuss formal dissolution was currently “impossible” due to security conditions.
Turkey continues military operations against PKK positions in northern Iraq despite Öcalan’s call and the PKK’s subsequent announcement of a ceasefire, to the point of complicating prospects for a safe meeting of the group’s leadership.
In nearly four decades of conflict between Turkey and the PKK, tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced, with the recent call by Öcalan leading to cautious optimism about potential peace.