Following the call of its founder Ocalan, the PKK announced that it is ending the armed struggle, but tied the ceasefire to conditions. Turkey has an interest in ending the conflict because it can become the leading political force in the region.
The banned Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK announced that it will follow the call of its leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is behind bars in Turkey, and end the armed struggle. “We agree with the call and will follow and implement it“, the PKK executive committee said. “As long as we are not attacked, our forces will not carry out any armed actions“, the group announced.
However, the PKK has made the complete disarmament conditional on certain conditions. One of the conditions is that the 75-year-old Öcalan should be able to live and work freely. In addition, he should be able to personally lead the congress to dissolve the PKK. It is not yet clear how willing the Turkish government is to accept these demands. Öcalan has been in a Turkish prison since 1999.
Who is Öcalan?
Abdullah Öcalan is the founder of the PKK. In 1979, he went to Syria to prepare the Kurdish war for independence from there. He established a PKK headquarters in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley, which was under Syrian control at the time. After the military coup in Turkey in 1980, many activists followed him to the PKK camps there.
In 1998, Öcalan was forced to leave Syria under pressure from the government in Ankara. An odyssey ensued in which no country was willing to accept him. Finally, in 1999, he was arrested by the Turkish secret services in Nairobi, Kenya.
In Turkey, Öcalan was sentenced to death for treason, founding a terrorist organization, and separatism. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Öcalan has been in solitary confinement on a prison island in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, ever since. His family and lawyers are also rarely allowed to visit him.
Pro-Kurdish opposition demands "democratic solution"
The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) has also called on the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to show "political will" to end the conflict. The party's co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan said in an interview: "There is a Kurdish problem and laying down arms is not enough to solve it". It was emphasized that the Kurds are waiting for a "democratic solution" and "concrete measures".
Currently, the circumstances for this seem favorable, the ARD says. Erdogan sees the PKK's move as a great chance: "We have a historic opportunity to make progress on the path to the goal – to break down the wall of terror“. Now is the time to seize this opportunity. “No member of this nation, whether Turkish or Kurdish, will forgive anyone who blocks this process with speech or action, as has happened in the past“, Erdogan warned. The president called for “calm, patience and integrity at this crucial time“.
Erdogan and his coalition partners from the right-wing nationalist MHP (Nationalist Action Party) unexpectedly turned to Öcalan in the fall and offered him the prospect of release if he disbanded the PKK.
Öcalan's historic declaration
On Thursday, Öcalan issued a declaration calling on his supporters to lay down their arms after more than 40 years of fighting against the Turkish state. He also announced the imminent dissolution of the PKK. It has been fighting against the Turkish state and for the rights of the Kurdish population since 1984. For Turkey and its Western allies, the party is a terrorist organization. The last time a ceasefire was declared was in 2013, but the peace process failed in the summer of 2015.
Initially, the PKK demanded an independent Kurdish state, then - for broad autonomy. In the meantime, the leader of the organization, Öcalan, has given up both goals. The party's headquarters are in northern Iraq, according to the ARD. The German public-law media outlet recalls that about 45,000 people, including many civilians, have died in the fighting between the PKK and the Turkish army.
The Kurds are believed to number between 25 and 30 million - the largest people without their own state. They live in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Due to the power of the well-armed Turkish army, most PKK fighters have withdrawn from Turkey in the last ten years. However, clashes on Turkish territory have not stopped - mainly directed from the PKK's positions in Iraq and Syria. To this day, the organization recognizes Öcalan as its leader.
The role of the situation in the Middle East in reconciliation with the PKK
“The dynamic situation in the Middle East is both a threat and an opportunity for Turkey“, Vahap Coskun from the Diyarbakir Institute for Political and Social Research told DW. In his words, “the developments in Syria after the overthrow of dictator Assad“ played a “decisive role”. Coskun is convinced that the goal of the Turkish government's current initiative is to prevent the PKK and Kurdish forces from emerging from this situation stronger. In addition, Turkey sees in the possible weakening of Iran a chance to establish itself as the largest political and economic power in the region. For this reason, it should end the armed conflict with the PKK, Coskun notes.
Despite the efforts for peace, however, the Turkish government has recently stepped up its measures against Kurds and opposition figures. Within a week, 340 politicians, lawyers, human rights activists and journalists were arrested on terrorism charges.