The months-long disarmament process involving the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has made little tangible progress, Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın has said.
Ankara’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative - of which the PKK’s disarmament is a key pillar - has so far produced only “symbolic” steps, Kalın told officials from the ruling AK Party at a Sunday briefing.
According to party officials cited by local media, there is no evidence that PKK fighters based in northern Iraq have laid down their arms, despite calls to do so by the group’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan.
For four decades, the PKK waged a violent insurgency against the Turkish state, in which tens of thousands of people - both civilians and military personnel - were killed.
The group has long been designated a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.
Ruling party officials also said that the regional war involving Iran, Israel and the U.S. - which will soon enter its third month - has further complicated the PKK disarmament process.
They said the ongoing conflict has altered the expectations of the Iraq-based PKK leadership and delayed the next phase of the process, including planned legal reforms.
According to party officials, the “legal regulation phase” of the process had been set to begin in April.
“But the Iran factor changed the situation,” one party source was quoted as saying.
The PKK’s Iraq-based leadership, for its part, has yet to respond to the assertions.
In return for the PKK’s disarmament, Ankara has pledged to pursue judicial reforms aimed at expanding Kurdish political participation and addressing long-standing Kurdish grievances.
Speaking at a 22 March rally in Istanbul, Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of Türkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party, called on Ankara to “listen to the voice of peace and take the necessary legal steps”.
She said that the DEM Party, which has played a mediating role between Ankara and the PKK, stands for “genuine peace strengthened by democracy and justice.”
“True rule of law will prevail in this country and justice will serve everyone,” Hatimoğulları told supporters.
FormeFormer Cuban President Raúl Castro has been indicted in the United States, according to a senior Trump...
A major international conference on “The Role of Youth in Urban Development during Decolonisation Processes” has opened in Baku,...
Day four of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku brings a packed agenda on sustainable cities and the global housing crisis, with sessions on green ...
The red carpet had barely been rolled up after Donald Trump’s departure before Beijing was laying it out again. Vladimir Putin arrived in the...
Passenger rail services between Baku and Tbilisi are expected to resume in 2026, after being suspended in 2020 ...
FormeFormer Cuban President Raúl Castro has been indicted in the United States, according to a senior Trump administration official. The move marks a significant escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Cuba’s communist leadership.
A major international conference on “The Role of Youth in Urban Development during Decolonisation Processes” has opened in Baku, bringing together young leaders and experts from around the world as part of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum.
Day four of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku brings a packed agenda on sustainable cities and the global housing crisis, with sessions on green housing, smart cities, public spaces and urban rights taking place on Wednesday (20 May) at Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.
The red carpet had barely been rolled up after Donald Trump’s departure before Beijing was laying it out again. Vladimir Putin arrived in the Chinese capital on Wednesday for talks with Xi Jinping, just days after Trump’s own high-profile visit.
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialogue and advancing cooperation in urban development. Organisers say there are nearly 3 billion people globally who face some form of housing inadequacy.
Azerbaijan and Georgia have agreed to resume daily passenger train services on the Baku-Tbilisi-Baku route from 26 May, 2026, marking a major step in restoring regional rail connectivity after services were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Day four of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku brings a packed agenda on sustainable cities and the global housing crisis, with sessions on green housing, smart cities, public spaces and urban rights taking place on Wednesday (20 May) at Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.
Pakistan has deployed around 8,000 troops, fighter jets and air defence systems to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence agreement, according to security officials and government sources familiar with the arrangement.
Russia is considering the possibility of joint projects with the United States and China, Kirill Dmitriev, Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, (Russia's sovereign wealth fund), was quoted as saying by state media on Wednesday.
Passenger rail services between Baku and Tbilisi are expected to resume in 2026, after being suspended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and regional border restrictions.
Tajik scientists have warned that glaciers in the Pamir Mountains are melting at an alarming rate, including in high-altitude areas previously considered relatively stable, following the country’s first direct winter glacier measurements since independence.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has published an open letter questioning the EU’s democratic credibility, in what may be the clearest sign yet of Georgia’s deepening political and diplomatic rupture with Brussels.
Amid shifting global supply chains and rising geopolitical competition over trade corridors, attention is increasingly turning to the strategic role of transit states linking Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Europe and the Middle East.
Kyrgyzstan has suspended 50 locally registered companies over what authorities described as “high sanctions risk” operations, in the clearest sign yet that Bishkek is responding to growing European scrutiny over alleged sanctions circumvention linked to Russia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment