Far right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has called on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to convene a congress on 4 May 2025 in Malazgirt, urging the group to formally disband and lay down its arms. “The PKK must convene its congress without delay, decide on its dissolution, and conclude this process within the framework of the Republic of Turkey,” Bahçeli stated.
Bahçeli linked his call to imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s 27 February message, in which Öcalan urged the group to consider a path towards a peaceful resolution. However, Bahçeli warned against delays, saying, “Any postponement could lead to unforeseen complications and provocations.”
He proposed that the congress be organised “on the eve of Hıdırellez, on Sunday, 4 May 2025, in Muş’s Malazgirt district, with the support of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party’s municipal administration.”
Bahçeli’s choice of Malazgirt as the proposed location carries deep historical significance. The 1071 Battle of Malazgirt is widely seen as the beginning of Turkish rule in Anatolia, but it is also rumoured to be the first encounter between the Turks and the indigenous Kurds, leading to an alliance. As the Seljuk Turks advanced into Anatolia, some Kurdish tribes sided with them against the Byzantine Empire, shaping early political dynamics in the region. By selecting Malazgirt, Bahçeli frames his proposal within a historical narrative of alliances and transformations.
Bahçeli also suggested 4 May, just before Hıdırellez, a festival symbolising renewal and new beginnings, reinforcing the call for a resolution. His inclusion of Newroz, a key festival in Kurdish culture, in his written address, seemed to link the proposal to seasonal and political change, but it remains controversial. Historically, the Turkish state has sought to reframe Newroz as a Turkish festival, downplaying its deep political and cultural significance for Kurds. By referencing Newroz, Bahçeli appears to invoke theme of unity.
