Following the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) historic decision to disband and end its four-decade armed struggle against Turkey, political leaders across the country have issued statements in response to the development.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded positively to the PKK’s decision, stating that Turkey had now passed a “critical threshold”. He emphasised that the disbandment process would be “closely monitored by state institutions” to ensure that the dissolution was genuine and irreversible. Erdoğan expressed hope that the decision would lead to long-term peace and stability in the country, calling it the beginning of a new era for Turkey’s unity and progress.
Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), also commented on the development, calling the PKK’s disbandment an important moment for Turkey. He said:
"The PKK has announced that it has dissolved itself and decided to lay down its arms. As the CHP, we have always stood for peace and we will continue to oppose all forms of violence."
Özgür Özel emphasised that the decision to end the four-decade conflict, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives, represents an opportunity for lasting peace. He stressed that the success of the process depends on its sincerity, legality and democratic legitimacy. Özel further stressed that resolving the Kurdish issue -and other national challenges- requires a firm commitment to the rule of law, justice and democracy, and called for an inclusive and transparent peace process.
Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Istanbul mayor and key rival to President Erdoğan, who was jailed in March, also responded to the PKK’s dissolution. He welcomed the move as a positive step towards national unity and peace, describing it as an opportunity for Turkey to build a more inclusive and peaceful future for all citizens. İmamoğlu also underlined the need for transparency in the peace process and called for the establishment of a parliamentary commission to oversee the next steps.
The PKK’s decision to disband marks a major milestone in its decades-long armed insurgency, which began in the 1980s with demands for greater autonomy and rights for Kurds in Turkey. The armed struggle, which has deeply affected Turkey’s Kurdish population, has resulted in significant loss of life and displacement. Despite the collapse of peace talks in 2015 and years of failed negotiations, the group’s latest move—prompted by a call from imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan—has renewed hopes for a resolution to the Kurdish issue. The disbandment follows the PKK’s 12th congress in northern Iraq, which voted to end the armed struggle, and signals a shift in Turkey’s approach to the long-running conflict.
