In an unprecedented move, Abdullah Öcalan has urged the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to dissolve itself and work to resolve the Kurdish question through democratic means. Öcalan has been serving a life sentence for over a quarter of a century, mostly in severe isolation. His call was relayed by a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party who had met with him in Imrali Prison and then read out his message on 27 February.
It reads, “Respect for identities, free self-expression, democratic self-organisation of each segment of society based on their own socio-economic and political structures, are only possible through the existence of a democratic society and political space…Convene your congress and make a decision; all groups must lay down their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself.”
The PKK responded by declaring a ceasefire effective as of 1 March and calling for the release of the iconic leader to oversee the completion of the disarmament and dissolution process.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the call as “historic” with the potential to usher in a new era in Turkish-Kurdish relations. Masoud Barzani, the Iraqi Kurdish leader who heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party, expressed his hope that Öcalan’s initiative would “set the peace process on track.” He stressed that Iraqi Kurdistan would fully support the process in every possible way as peaceful means are the only correct path to resolving disputes. The Iraqi government echoed such support.
Many other regional and international powers welcomed the initiative. “We welcome any step aimed at laying down arms,” the US State Department said in remarks to the press. The US National Security spokesperson added, “We believe it will help bring peace to this troubled region.”
Many observers had anticipated this development. On 29 December 2024, DEM Party leaders relayed a message from Öcalan prioritising the “urgent necessity” and “historic responsibility” to strengthen Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood. He described the current era as one of “peace, democracy, and brotherhood” for Turkey and the entire region, noting that the developments in Gaza and Syria underscore the pressing need for a resolution to the Kurdish question.
Undoubtedly, Öcalan was responding to encouraging signals from the state. In early October 2024, during the opening session of the Turkish parliament, Devlet Bahçeli, head of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Erdogan ally, proposed inviting Öcalan to address parliament to declare disbanding the PKK in exchange for peace and his release.
Erdoğan welcomed the initiative. Addressing MPs of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on 30 October, he stressed that national unity was the path to eliminating PKK terrorism. Ankara appears to have reached the conclusion that ending the over 40-year-old conflict with the Kurds is a strategic imperative if it is to fully control its borders. The conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives since the militant organisation launched its armed operations in 1984.
A successful peace process would have far-reaching implications for Turkey and the region. Domestically, it could further the rapprochement between the ruling AKP and the pro-Kurdish DEM. Erdogan is keen to woo Kurdish voters to reverse the AKP’s slide in legislative and municipal election results and build support for proposed constitutional amendments that would enable him to run for a third term as president in 2028.
To this end, the government might make various political concessions to the Kurds, such as releasing many of the dozens of Kurdish political leaders in jail on what European rights organisations describe as trumped-up terror charges. European rights groups have harshly criticised Ankara for its summary dismissal and arrest of elected Kurdish municipal leaders and other abuses of Kurdish political, cultural and human rights. A solution to the Kurdish question would reduce European rights-related pressures and improve Turkey’s international image.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi has also welcomed Öcalan’s call for the PKK to lay down arms which, he said, would have positive consequences for the region. However, he stressed that the call does not apply to the SDF, as it is not related to the PKK.
Turkey claims otherwise and may use the SDF’s refusal to disarm as a pretext to intensify military actions against the Kurdish-controlled region in northeastern Syria directly or through its allied militias in Syria.
At the same time, a peace process in Turkey might facilitate improved relations with the US. Washington might see this a reason to end or at least reduce its support for the Syrian Kurds, which has long been a key Turkish demand.
A resolution to the Kurdish question in Turkey would facilitate closer relations with Baghdad. In particular, it would contribute to laying the security and political groundwork for the envisioned joint development corridor linking Turkey with Qatar and the UAE via Iraq. PKK militants have been operating out of the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq for decades. An end to the Turkish conflict with the PKK would relieve Iraq of a decades-long security, political, and economic headache. It might also improve the prospects of the Al-Sudani government in the next elections, as it would no longer face criticism for tolerating Turkish violations of Iraqi national sovereignty in the form of frequent airstrikes against PKK positions in northern Iraq, some of which have claimed civilian Iraqi lives.
Implementing Öcalan’s initiative on the ground could run up against numerous obstacles. One is the decline in Öcalan’s central influence within the PKK with the emergence of new leaders. A significant PKK faction headquartered in the Qandil Mountains and headed by Cemil Bayik has also conditioned progress on disarmament with practical steps towards the fulfilment of Kurdish cultural and political rights in Turkey. A large segment of Turkish official and public opinion might oppose such steps.
Hardline Turkish stances, such as Turkish Vice-President Cevdet Yilmaz’s insistence that the PKK should dissolve “without any negotiations” could also inhibit progress. It is thus evident that, while Öcalan’s initiative might be a move in a long stalled process, it has dozens of obstacles to overcome still.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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