Outlawed Kurdish militants declared a ceasefire with Turkey on Saturday, responding to a landmark appeal from imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan who called for the group to disband and end its decades-long armed struggle.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) executive committee announced the immediate cessation of hostilities in its first official reaction to Ocalan’s peace initiative earlier this week.
“In order to pave the way for the implementation of leader Apo’s call for peace and democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective from today,” the PKK said in a statement published by ANF news agency.
“None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,” the Iraq-based committee added.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has waged an insurgency since 1984.
While initially seeking an independent Kurdish homeland, the group’s demands have evolved to focus on greater autonomy and cultural rights for Turkey’s Kurdish population, which comprises approximately 20 percent of the country’s 85 million people.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Ocalan’s appeal as a “historic opportunity” on Friday, stating that Turkey would “keep a close watch” to ensure peace talks reach a successful conclusion.
The pro-Kurdish DEM party relayed Ocalan’s message on Thursday after meeting with him at his island prison, where he has been held since 1999. The appeal called for the PKK to convene a congress to announce its dissolution.
While accepting the call for a congress, the PKK stipulated conditions including improved prison conditions for Ocalan, who they said “must be able to live and work in physical freedom and be able to establish unhindered relationships with anyone he wants”.
Analysts suggest a peace agreement could have significant regional implications, particularly for Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad was ousted late last year following a protracted civil war.
“A peace deal with the PKK is likely to make it easier to reunify and establish a more stable Syria,” Anthony Skinner, director of research at Marlow Global, told AFP.
“This is a key objective for the Turkish government which has had to contend with the ongoing threat of cross-border mass migration and terrorism”.
The ceasefire announcement follows the collapse of previous peace talks in 2015, with no formal contact until October when a nationalist ally of Erdogan unexpectedly offered a peace gesture if Ocalan rejected violence.
Iraq has welcomed Ocalan’s call, describing it as “a positive and important step towards achieving stability in the region”.
The PKK’s presence in northern Iraq has been a persistent source of tension between Baghdad and Ankara.
While supporting the peace initiative, Erdogan’s government has simultaneously intensified pressure on opposition figures, arresting hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.
