PKK to Begin Formal Disarmament Process in Historic Shift Toward Peace
The PKK begins disarmament Friday near Sulaimani, following Öcalan’s call to end armed struggle. A phased handover monitored by Turkish, Iraqi, and Kurdish officials marks a historic step toward peace after 40+ years of conflict with Türkiye.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Friday is set to begin the first steps of officially handing over its weapons, marking a historic turning point that ends over four decades of armed conflict with Türkiye.
The move follows a video message from the party’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, in which he declared an end to the armed struggle and called for a transition to legal political activity and the rule of law.
The disarmament ceremony is set to take place near the city of Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region. According to Kurdistan 24 sources, the process will unfold in phases, beginning with a symbolic handover of weapons by a select group of fighters. Full disarmament is expected to conclude by September.
The operation is being monitored by a joint committee that includes representatives from Turkish intelligence and the military, in coordination with the governments of Baghdad and Erbil. Senior members of the PKK’s Executive and Central Committees, along with delegates from other Kurdish and leftist parties, are reportedly also in attendance.
Due to security concerns, the ceremony is not going to be broadcast live, and journalists were not granted access to the site. However, footage is expected to be made available to the press at a later time.
This step follows the PKK’s May 12 announcement to dissolve itself and lay down arms, in response to Öcalan’s Feb. 27 appeal for an end to the armed campaign.
As Kurdistan24 notes, this development signals a potential new chapter in Turkish-Kurdish relations, with growing calls for the formation of a Turkish parliamentary committee to oversee the disarmament and manage a broader peace process.
