PKK Official Presses Ankara for Next Steps in Peace Process

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A senior PKK figure has accused Ankara of delaying Türkiye's peace process, saying the group has withdrawn its armed forces from inside the country while the Turkish government has yet to take what he considers substantive political and legal steps in return.

Duran Kalkan, a member of the Abdullah Öcalan Academy of Social Sciences, told a channel close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that the group had taken what he described as "fundamental and historic" steps toward the peace and democratic society process.

Kalkan said Ankara, by contrast, had largely kept the process at the level of public statements.

He argued that despite the period that has passed since initiatives aimed at dissolving the PKK began, no decision has been made regarding the status and conditions of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Kalkan also claimed that throughout 2025 and 2026 the PKK withdrew its armed forces from Türkiye and neighboring areas, and said the organization currently poses no armed threat to Türkiye's security.

His remarks represent the PKK's assessment of the process.

Kalkan said further implementation of the decisions adopted at the PKK's 12th Congress would require what he called Öcalan's "physical freedom," together with a legal and political framework allowing former members of the organization to participate in democratic politics.

He also warned Turkish authorities against concluding that the state no longer needs engagement with the other side because of the PKK's disarmament decisions.

According to Kalkan, calls for the organization to "completely lay down its arms" no longer reflect conditions on the ground because, in his account, armed forces capable of threatening Türkiye have already been withdrawn.

He characterized continuing demands for disarmament as an attempt to maintain pressure on the PKK and delay implementation of other parts of the process.

Kalkan further accused Turkish authorities of linking the initiative too closely to domestic political calculations and elections, arguing that this had slowed genuine progress.

The current process traces back to late 2024, when Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli called on Öcalan to address parliament and urge the PKK to dissolve.

On Feb. 27, 2025, Öcalan called on the organization to convene a congress, lay down its weapons and dissolve itself.

The PKK subsequently held its 12th Congress in May 2025 and announced a decision to dissolve the organization and disarm.

Türkiye has also taken steps during the process.

In August 2026, the Turkish Parliament approved a limited amnesty measure covering disarmed PKK members. An oversight committee chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz was also established to monitor implementation.

Kalkan, however, argued that those developments have not addressed what the PKK regards as the central political and legal requirements of the process, particularly Öcalan's status and a framework for democratic participation.

His comments therefore highlight the gap between steps already taken and the further measures sought by the PKK side.

The process has moved considerably from the initial political opening in late 2024 through Öcalan's disarmament appeal and the PKK's subsequent congress decisions.

For Kalkan, however, its next stage depends on Ankara moving beyond declarations and existing limited measures toward decisions on Öcalan and the political future of former PKK members.

He said the organization would continue pressing for those changes as conditions for fully implementing the remaining decisions of its 12th Congress.

Kurdistan24 correspondent Ebidulselam Tûtincî contributed to this report.