Daijiworld Media Network – Ankara
Ankara, Jan 12: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to surrender its weapons, describing the move as a "new and important window of opportunity" to resolve the decades-long conflict that has plagued the nation.
Speaking in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir on Saturday, Erdogan urged for an end to a struggle that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s. “We do not think it is right that this should be wasted,” he said, referring to the chance for disarmament and peace.
In a significant development, Erdogan’s government has engaged with the pro-Kurdish peoples' equality and democracy party, which facilitated a meeting between party members and Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed PKK leader. According to local media reports, Ocalan is expected to soon urge PKK militants to lay down their arms, potentially paving the way for a historic resolution to the conflict.
Erdogan emphasized the need to end what he described as "half-century-long separatist terrorism" and to consign it "to history with all its dimensions." The Turkish government’s push for peace comes amid a broader effort to consolidate domestic unity against a backdrop of regional instability.
While the diplomatic overtures signal hope, Turkish security forces continue to apply military pressure on the PKK. Interior minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that operations across 41 provinces in the past 10 days resulted in the detention of 147 suspected PKK members.
On the same day, the Turkish defence ministry reported the “neutralisation” of 11 PKK militants during cross-border operations in northern Iraq's Hakurk, Metina, and Gara regions. The term "neutralise" is often used by Turkish authorities to imply that militants have been killed, captured, or have surrendered.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US, and the EU, has been engaged in an armed insurgency against the Turkish state for over three decades. Turkish forces regularly carry out cross-border operations targeting PKK bases in northern Iraq.
If the current diplomatic efforts yield results, it could mark a turning point in one of Turkey's most entrenched conflicts, offering hope for long-term peace and stability.