Ruling party in Turkey: The PKK and Its Affiliates in Iraq and Syria Must Dissolve
Omer Çelik said that, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, significant progress has been made toward resolving the Kurdish question inTurkey
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has emphasized that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its affiliates, including the Democratic Union Party (PYD), People's Defense Units (YPG), and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Iraq and Syria, must lay down their weapons and dissolve following the recent message from PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
Speaking on Friday, AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik addressed Ocalan’s call for disarmament, stating: "All terrorist organizations, regardless of their name, including the PKK and its affiliated groups in Iraq and Syria, must surrender their weapons and cease their activities."
Call for a Terror-Free Turkey
Çelik also referred to the Kurdish question within Turkey, asserting that under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, significant progress has been made toward resolving it. "With President Erdoğan’s determination, the Kurdish question has been addressed, and we have reached a stage where Turkey is focused on a future free from terrorism," he added.
Ocalan’s Disarmament Call Sparks Political Reactions
On Thursday, a delegation from Imrali Prison—where Ocalan has been imprisoned since 1999—held a press conference following their meeting with him, in which he emphasized that the PKK was formed due to restrictions on democracy and that now "the language of peace and democracy must prevail."
Read More: Abdulla Ocalan calls for the disarmament of PKK
PKK’s Global Classification and Ocalan’s Imprisonment
The PKK, founded on Nov. 28, 1978, in the Lice district of Diyarbakir, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and several other countries.
Abdullah Ocalan, the group’s founder and leader, has been serving a life sentence on Imrali Island in the Sea of Marmara since 1999, following his conviction on charges of establishing and leading a terrorist organization.