Erdogan Hails PKK Disarmament as ‘Historic Turning Point’, Proposes Parliamentary Commission for Peace Talks
Peregraf
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday hailed the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a "historic turning point" and announced the formation of a parliamentary commission as the “first step” toward peace talks, declaring that Türkiye is entering a new era of unity and strength.
“The problem of terror that has been lingering in our nation for 47 years has, God willing, entered the process of ending,” Erdogan said at the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s 32nd Consultation and Evaluation Meeting in Ankara. “The wall of terror is being obliterated.”
Erdogan praised the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for their cooperation in facilitating the peace process, adding that the state will now pursue a political solution instead of oppression. “Today marks the dawn of a great and powerful Türkiye,” he declared. “The doors to the Century of Türkiye have been fully opened.”
The president accused previous Turkish governments of oppressing Kurds rather than seeking genuine resolutions to the PKK conflict. He said the newly announced parliamentary commission would lay the groundwork for broader reconciliation.
His remarks came a day after the PKK held a historic ceremonial disarmament on July 11 in the Jasana Cave, located in the Dukan district of Sulaymaniyah province, within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The event marked the first public act of disarmament by the PKK in nearly five decades of armed struggle against the Turkish state.
Thirty fighters—equally divided between men and women—burned their weapons during the symbolic event, witnessed by local officials and observers. They later returned to their mountain bases as part of a broader transition to political engagement.
The ceremony followed a groundbreaking call by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who made his first video appearance in 26 years on July 9, officially ending the PKK’s armed campaign and urging the movement to embrace democratic politics. “The details of the laying down of the arms will be specified and expeditiously implemented,” Öcalan said.
Delegations from Turkey and North Kurdistan led by DEM Party co-chairs Tuncer Bakırhan and Ahmet Türk, as well as representatives from the KRG, the Iraqi government, and Kurdish political parties, attended the event.
In a joint statement issued at the site, the guerrillas reiterated their demand for Öcalan’s physical release and called for a comprehensive political resolution to the Kurdish issue. “The struggle will continue through political and legal means,” they said.
The disarmament follows the PKK’s 12th Congress, held May 5–7 in the Medya Defense Areas, where the group formally dissolved its armed wing on May 12. The congress described the move as a “historic shift” in the Kurdish freedom movement, influenced by Öcalan’s February 27 message delivered by a DEM Party delegation.