The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced its dissolution on Monday, which will constitute a historic step after decades of conflicts with Turkey that killed tens of thousands of people.
The militant group stated in a statement that “all activities” carried out under the name of the group were over.
The Kurdish issue has come to a point where it can be resolved through democratic policies, ”PKK said in a statement. The 12th Congress, a high level of decision making of the group, “decided to dissolve the PKK organizational structure and end the armed struggle,” says the statement, adding that the implementation of the process will be managed and directed by its arrested leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
The statement does not clarify whether the decision applies to all PKK branches in Iraq, Syria and Iran, nor does it indicate how disarmament will be done or what will happen to existing fighters.
The group stated that “the reconstruction of Turkish-Kurds relations is inevitable” and that the decision was also influenced by “current developments in the Middle East”.
The group also appealed to the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and all political parties to “take responsibility and join the process of peace and democratic society.”
The Turkish presidency said Monday that the PKK decision is an indication that the “Turkey process free of terror” under the presidency of Erdogan “has gained strength and has come to an important phase”, adding that all “necessary measures will be taken” to ensure that the process advances.
The President Erdogan’s spokesman for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) said the decision could lead to a “new era.”
“If terrorism ends completely, the door will open for a new era,” said Omer Celik, adding that “this decision must be implemented in practice and realized in all its dimensions.”
For almost five decades, Turkey was at war with PKK, founded by Ocalan in 1978. Most of the fighting focused on the group’s desire to create an independent Kurdish state in the southeastern country. But in recent years, the group has been claiming greater autonomy within Turkey.
In March, the PKK declared an immediate ceasefire after Ocalan appealed to the combatants to testify the weapons and dissolve the group.
It is estimated that the conflict killed at least 40,000 people.
The Kurdish people have had a complicated relationship with Erdogan. The Turkish leader courted the Kurds in previous years, giving them more rights and reversing the restrictions on the use of his language. In 2013, Erdogan collaborated with the Popular Democratic Party (HDP), pro-Credo, in the brief process of peace with PKK.
The conversations failed and the ties soured in 2015. The Turkey War against PKK has led to a widespread repression in recent years against pro-curved parties, accused by the Turkish government to have connections to the group and their affiliates.
Kurds are Turkey’s largest minority, representing between 15% and 20% of the population, according to the Minority Rights Group International. They also have a significant presence in northern Syria, northern Iraq and Iran.
