PKK has declared a ceasefire with Türkiye after its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, urged the movement to lay down its arms and dissolve itself.
In a statement on Saturday, the PKK expressed hope that Turkey would release Öcalan, who has been held in solitary confinement since 1999, so he can lead the disarmament process.
The announcement follows Öcalan’s recent call to end four decades of armed conflict in southeastern Turkey, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Öcalan highlighted the importance of paving the way for democratic politics and Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood.
Öcalan—affectionately known as 'Apo' by Kurdish nationalists—met with MPs from a pro-Kurdish party this week on İmralı, the island in the Sea of Marmara, southwest of Istanbul, where he is imprisoned.
"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 executive committee said in a statement on Saturday, quoted by the pro-PKK ANF news agency.
"None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked," it added.
The group stated that Öcalan’s call should not be seen as an end, but rather as 'the beginning of an era of peace and democratic society,' emphasizing that only Leader Apo can assume the leadership of this new process.
"Leader Apo must personally oversee and lead the process to ensure its successful implementation, paving the way for Turkey and the Middle East's democratization through a democratic resolution of the Kurdish question," - the statement reads.
The PKK - which stands for the Kurdistan Workers' Party - said Ocalan "must be granted with conditions to live and work in physical freedom and be able to establish unhindered relationships with anyone he wants, including his friends".
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli for initiating the process and described Öcalan’s call as a historic opportunity. 'This is a historic opportunity to dismantle the wall of terrorism that has divided our thousand-year brotherhood,' he said.
He also assured that the government would remain vigilant against potential provocations during the process, emphasizing that all necessary precautions would be taken.
"A Türkiye free of terrorism will be a victory for all 85 million people—regardless of whether they are Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, Alevi, Sunni, or from the opposition," he added.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday...
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are m...
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has cleared the criminal record of former soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian in the West Bank in 2016.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
The death toll in a suicide attack at a police compound in northwest Pakistan has reached 31, AFP reported on Saturday, citing a police official.
Azerbaijan has rejected France’s justification for advising its citizens against travel to the country, after Paris cited risks of arbitrary detention and unfair trials.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment