Kurdish group PKK to disband and end conflict with Turkiye
A senior PKK leader said that all 232 participating members had unanimously agreed to end the armed struggle and formally dissolve the party.
'From today onwards, there will be no armed operations or political activities under the name of the PKK,' a statement obtained by DPA said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government reacted to the decision with cautious optimism.
'If the new PKK decision is fully implemented and all PKK sub-organizations and illegal structures are closed, this will be a turning point,' said Ömer Celik, spokesman of the president's Justice and Development (AKP) party, according to the Anadolu news agency.
The PKK has been engaged in armed conflict and attacks since the 1980s, advocating for a Kurdish state or an autonomous region in south-eastern Turkey. However, the organization has since moved away from its demand for an independent state.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
At the end of February, PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned in Turkey since 1999, called on the group to formally disband and disarm. With Monday's announcement, the PKK is responding to his appeal.
The key questions now are how this process will take place, who will oversee the disarmament and what will happen to the organization's fighters. (DPA)
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