Kurdish PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey after call of imprisoned leader
Kyiv • UNN
The Kurdistan Workers' Party has announced a ceasefire with Turkey after Abdullah Ocalan called for the laying down of arms. The PKK is ready for self-dissolution, provided that an appropriate legal framework is created and its leader is released.
The Kurdish group "Kurdistan Workers' Party" (PKK) announced a ceasefire with Turkey after its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the movement to lay down its arms and disband, UNN reports citing Daily Sabbah.
Details
In a statement, the PKK's "leadership" in Kandil said the group would obey the call of its imprisoned leader, Ocalan.
According to the statement, the ceasefire is declared immediately.
"We fully support the content of Ocalan's call and reaffirm our commitment to comply with and implement his demands on our part. We emphasize, however, that an appropriate legal and democratic political framework must also be in place for success," the statement reads.
"None of our forces will engage in armed action unless attacked," the statement added.
The PKK also stated that it was ready to convene a party congress on Ocalan's instructions and demanded a "safe environment" and the presence of Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence, to personally chair the congress "to guarantee its success.
"Abdullah Ocalan must be provided with the conditions to live and work in physical freedom, with unrestricted access to meet with whomever he wishes, including his colleagues. We hope that the relevant state institutions will fulfill these requirements," the PKK statement added.
AddendumAddendum
The imprisoned PKK leader Ocalan on Thursday called for the dissolution of all groups subordinate to the PKK, calling for an end to its campaign that has lasted more than 40 years.
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Ankara has moved to the waiting stage of the Terrorism Free Turkey initiative after the imprisoned leader of the PKK called for its dissolution, saying it must either heed calls for disarmament or face total annihilation.
The group, as noted by the BBC, has been waging an insurgency since 1984 to create a homeland for the Kurds, who make up about 20% of Turkey's 85 million people. It is banned in Turkey, the EU, the UK and the US.
