Turkiye President Recept Tayp Erdogan said it was a “historic opportunity” when Abdullah Okaran appealed to disband and disarm the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as senior members of the Presidential Party demanded the dissolution of PKK affiliates in Iraq and Syria.
“We have a historic opportunity to move forward towards a purpose in destroying the terrorist barrier,” Erdogan said on Friday, the day after the statement from the founder of the imprisoned PKK.
In a key message from the prison, Okaran called on the PKK to convene Congress and make the decision to put down weapons and dissolve themselves. The message, relayed by Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish Dem Party officials, was part of a new initiative to end the decades-long war that took tens of thousands of lives.
The PKK, considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and its western allies, has led to decades of rebellion against the Turkish state.
The leadership of the PKK, based in northern Iraq, has yet to respond to Okaran’s call.
Erdogan said that in order for Turquier to “keep the close watch,” he warns “taunt” consultations to end the rebellion and confirms “to a successful conclusion.”
“If terrorism and arms pressure are eliminated, the space for politics in democracy will naturally expand,” Erdogan said.
Earlier on Friday, Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan’s Management AK Party, said all groups associated with the PKK, including groups other than Turkiye, should follow the phone.
“All extensions of terrorist organizations, whether they are called PKK, YPG or PYD, have to disband themselves,” Celick said in relation to the protection unit of the Kurdish people in Syria and its political wings.
“We mean the complete liquidation of Iraq and Syrian organizations and their elements.”
“The ball is in the government court.”
In Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDFs, including the YPG, welcomed Okaran’s call for disarmament as “opportunities” and “opportunities” to build peace in the region.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said that Ocalan’s call was related to the PKK and “has no connection with our army.”
Meanwhile, the DEM Party said it wanted immediate measures to democratize from the Erdogan government.
“The government should take responsibility and take measures to democratize now. This is our demand as a citizen of the country,” said Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit, vice-chairman of the DEM Party’s parliamentary group.
“The ball is now in the government court,” she said. “If there is no democratization and the government continues to ignore our fundamental freedoms, how can we live together and build a future?”
Turkiye has removed restrictions on the use of Kurdish language in recent decades, especially since the AK party in Erdogan came to power in 2002. However, some critics say the state has not advanced enough to grant more rights to the Kurds in Turkiye.
A new effort for peace between the PKK and the Turkish state was launched in October by Erdogan’s coalition partner, Devlet Bahceli. The far-right politician suggested that if his group abandoned violence and disbandment, Ocaran could be granted parole.
Okaran, 75, has been jailed on Imurali Island off Istanbul since 1999 after being convicted of discord. Despite his incarceration, he continues to have a major influence on the PKK, which he founded in 1978.
Previous peace efforts at the PKK have recently failed in 2015.
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