Peregraf- Media close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced that, following Abdullah Öcalan’s recent call and the resolutions of the group’s 12th Congress, the “freedom guerrillas” will take another “historic step” on Sunday as part of efforts toward peace and a democratic society. A statement is expected to be released at a press conference tomorrow.
The announcement comes after a symbolic disarmament event on July 11, 2025, when 30 PKK fighters burned their weapons in Jasana Cave, located in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province. Two days before that event, Öcalan appeared in a surprise video message from prison—his first public appearance in 26 years—declaring the official end of the PKK’s armed campaign and urging the movement to embrace “democratic political methods.”
Erdoğan Hails “A Turning Point”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed the developments, describing them as “a historic turning point.” On July 12, he said, “The problem of terror that has been lingering in our nation for 47 years has, God willing, entered the process of ending. The wall of terror is being obliterated.”
Erdoğan credited both the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for their cooperation in facilitating the process, framing the initiative as part of his “Century of Türkiye” vision for long-term peace and stability.
Broad Political Support
The new peace initiative has received wide political backing across Türkiye’s spectrum. A newly established National Peace Commission includes representatives from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the nationalist MHP, and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, alongside Kurdish and minority groups.
Observers say tomorrow’s PKK announcement could mark a significant step in reshaping relations between Ankara and Kurdish political movements after decades of armed conflict.