The rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party will listen to its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has called on the organization to disarm and declare an immediate ceasefire, Reuters and the Associated Press reported, citing a news agency close to the group, BTA reports.
Reuters notes that this is an important step towards ending the 40-year conflict with the Turkish state.
„We are declaring the ceasefire effective from today to pave the way for the implementation of the call for peace and a democratic society. "Our forces will not take armed action unless attacked," the group said in a statement, quoted by its affiliated Firat news agency.
The group said it hoped Ankara would release Ocalan, who has been held in near-total isolation since 1999, so he could lead the disarmament process.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK has left tens of thousands dead since it began in 1984.