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.
Indian police detained more than 2,000 protesters in Delhi on Saturday as authorities blocked a planned demonstration calling for the resignation o...
A powerful explosion has been reported at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, raising fresh concerns over aviation security in Saudi Arabi...
At least 12 people, including three children, have been killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a day after U.S. Presiden...
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
A powerful explosion has been reported at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, raising fresh concerns over aviation security in Saudi Arabia as tensions across the region continue to escalate.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday (9 October) escalating tensions with European allies and potentially targeting companies that provide services to the tribunal. The move came hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize.
A powerful explosion has been reported at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, raising fresh concerns over aviation security in Saudi Arabia as tensions across the region continue to escalate.
Turkic states are assessing the feasibility of passport-free travel between countries using national ID cards, Kürşad Zorlu, the Deputy Chairman of Türkiye’s ruling AK Party said on Saturday.
European Union measures suspending import duties on 80 per cent of Armenian exports to the bloc came into effect on Saturday. The temporary liberalisation measures are aimed at supporting Armenian producers and exporters following trade restrictions imposed on the country's products by Russia.
Georgia is enjoying one of its biggest and highest-quality grape harvests since independence. By 6 October, growers in the country's main wine-producing region, Kakheti, had delivered 182,210 tonnes of grapes, with 99 per cent rated medium or high quality, despite recent protests over prices.
Uzbekistan has unveiled plans to deepen economic ties with Central Asia and Azerbaijan, proposing shared artificial intelligence infrastructure, a critical minerals alliance and a regional trade strategy extending to 2035.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment