Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Abdullah Öcalan's (pictured by his supporters) call to lay down his arms was a "historic opportunity" for Turks and Kurds. AFP/Yasin AKGUL
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The historic leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, had already called on his movement to lay down its arms after decades of murderous struggle.
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a terrorist organization designated by the United States, Turkey and Europe, announced its dissolution on Monday and the end of more than four decades of armed struggle against the Turkish state, the pro-Kurdish ANF news agency reported. “The 12th PKK Congress decided to dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the method of armed struggle,” the Kurdish armed group said in a statement, after earlier saying it had held its congress last week.
On February 27, the historic leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, called on his movement to lay down its arms and end a guerrilla war that has left more than 40,000 dead since 1984.
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This appeal by Öcalan, who has been imprisoned for 26 years on the prison island of Imrali, off the coast of Istanbul, followed mediation initiated in the autumn by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main ally, the nationalist Devlet Bahçeli, via the pro-Kurdish DEM party.
The PKK responded favorably on March 1 to the call of its historic leader, announcing an immediate ceasefire with Turkish forces.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the time that Abdullah Öcalan’s call was a “historic opportunity” for Turks and Kurds, who represent, by some estimates, 20% of Turkey’s 85 million inhabitants.
The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, as are the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. Its leader, Abdullah Öcalan, is considered a veritable icon, almost a mystic, by pro-Kurdish supporters.
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