Latest news with #12thCongress
The Advertiser
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Kurdish PKK disbands and ends 40-year Turkey insurgency
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with Turkey for more than four decades, has decided to disband and end its armed struggle, group members and Turkish leaders say. Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exerted a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions. The PKK's decision could boost NATO member Turkey's political and economic stability and encourage moves to ease tensions in neighbouring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US Ankara welcomed the decision to dissolve, it does not guarantee peace. Rather it paves the way for agreeing to a tricky legal framework for securely disarming the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. "The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure... and end the armed struggle," Firat news agency reported it as saying on Monday in the closing declaration of a congress held last week in northern Iraq, where the group is based. A PKK official separately confirmed the decision and said all military operations would cease immediately, adding weapon handovers were contingent on Ankara's response and approach to Kurdish rights, and the fate of PKK fighters and leaders. Kurds make up 20 per cent of Turkey's 86 million population. The PKK held the congress in response to a February call to disband from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island south of Istanbul since 1999. It said on Monday that he would manage the process. However, it was not clear whether Ankara agreed to Ocalan's continued role, which polls suggest could be unpopular among Turks. It was also unclear how the process would affect the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria. YPG leads a US-allied force against Islamic State there and is regarded by Turkey as a PKK affiliate. YPG has previously said Ocalan's call did not apply to it, contradicting Ankara's view. It did not immediately comment on the PKK's announcement. The disbanding will give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a chance to boost development in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has impaired the regional economy for decades. Turkey would take necessary measures to ensure smooth progress towards a "terror-free" country after the PKK decision, said the presidency's communications director, Fahrettin Altun. In its statement, the PKK said it "has completed its historic mission", which over the years shifted to seeking greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in southeast Turkey, rather than an independent state. "The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics," it said on the Firat website. The PKK decision comes amid tumult in Turkish politics: Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main challenger, was jailed in March pending corruption charges in a move that sparked the country's largest protests in a decade. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed. Ending the insurgency would remove a constant flashpoint in Kurdish-run, oil-rich northern Iraq, while facilitating efforts by Syria's new administration to assert greater sway over areas in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces. Ocalan's call was prompted by a surprise proposal in October by Devlet Bahceli, Erdogan's ultra-nationalist ally. It had been welcomed by the United States, the European Union and also by Iraq and Iran, which have significant Kurdish populations. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with Turkey for more than four decades, has decided to disband and end its armed struggle, group members and Turkish leaders say. Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exerted a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions. The PKK's decision could boost NATO member Turkey's political and economic stability and encourage moves to ease tensions in neighbouring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US Ankara welcomed the decision to dissolve, it does not guarantee peace. Rather it paves the way for agreeing to a tricky legal framework for securely disarming the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. "The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure... and end the armed struggle," Firat news agency reported it as saying on Monday in the closing declaration of a congress held last week in northern Iraq, where the group is based. A PKK official separately confirmed the decision and said all military operations would cease immediately, adding weapon handovers were contingent on Ankara's response and approach to Kurdish rights, and the fate of PKK fighters and leaders. Kurds make up 20 per cent of Turkey's 86 million population. The PKK held the congress in response to a February call to disband from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island south of Istanbul since 1999. It said on Monday that he would manage the process. However, it was not clear whether Ankara agreed to Ocalan's continued role, which polls suggest could be unpopular among Turks. It was also unclear how the process would affect the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria. YPG leads a US-allied force against Islamic State there and is regarded by Turkey as a PKK affiliate. YPG has previously said Ocalan's call did not apply to it, contradicting Ankara's view. It did not immediately comment on the PKK's announcement. The disbanding will give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a chance to boost development in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has impaired the regional economy for decades. Turkey would take necessary measures to ensure smooth progress towards a "terror-free" country after the PKK decision, said the presidency's communications director, Fahrettin Altun. In its statement, the PKK said it "has completed its historic mission", which over the years shifted to seeking greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in southeast Turkey, rather than an independent state. "The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics," it said on the Firat website. The PKK decision comes amid tumult in Turkish politics: Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main challenger, was jailed in March pending corruption charges in a move that sparked the country's largest protests in a decade. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed. Ending the insurgency would remove a constant flashpoint in Kurdish-run, oil-rich northern Iraq, while facilitating efforts by Syria's new administration to assert greater sway over areas in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces. Ocalan's call was prompted by a surprise proposal in October by Devlet Bahceli, Erdogan's ultra-nationalist ally. It had been welcomed by the United States, the European Union and also by Iraq and Iran, which have significant Kurdish populations. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with Turkey for more than four decades, has decided to disband and end its armed struggle, group members and Turkish leaders say. Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exerted a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions. The PKK's decision could boost NATO member Turkey's political and economic stability and encourage moves to ease tensions in neighbouring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US Ankara welcomed the decision to dissolve, it does not guarantee peace. Rather it paves the way for agreeing to a tricky legal framework for securely disarming the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. "The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure... and end the armed struggle," Firat news agency reported it as saying on Monday in the closing declaration of a congress held last week in northern Iraq, where the group is based. A PKK official separately confirmed the decision and said all military operations would cease immediately, adding weapon handovers were contingent on Ankara's response and approach to Kurdish rights, and the fate of PKK fighters and leaders. Kurds make up 20 per cent of Turkey's 86 million population. The PKK held the congress in response to a February call to disband from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island south of Istanbul since 1999. It said on Monday that he would manage the process. However, it was not clear whether Ankara agreed to Ocalan's continued role, which polls suggest could be unpopular among Turks. It was also unclear how the process would affect the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria. YPG leads a US-allied force against Islamic State there and is regarded by Turkey as a PKK affiliate. YPG has previously said Ocalan's call did not apply to it, contradicting Ankara's view. It did not immediately comment on the PKK's announcement. The disbanding will give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a chance to boost development in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has impaired the regional economy for decades. Turkey would take necessary measures to ensure smooth progress towards a "terror-free" country after the PKK decision, said the presidency's communications director, Fahrettin Altun. In its statement, the PKK said it "has completed its historic mission", which over the years shifted to seeking greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in southeast Turkey, rather than an independent state. "The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics," it said on the Firat website. The PKK decision comes amid tumult in Turkish politics: Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main challenger, was jailed in March pending corruption charges in a move that sparked the country's largest protests in a decade. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed. Ending the insurgency would remove a constant flashpoint in Kurdish-run, oil-rich northern Iraq, while facilitating efforts by Syria's new administration to assert greater sway over areas in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces. Ocalan's call was prompted by a surprise proposal in October by Devlet Bahceli, Erdogan's ultra-nationalist ally. It had been welcomed by the United States, the European Union and also by Iraq and Iran, which have significant Kurdish populations. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with Turkey for more than four decades, has decided to disband and end its armed struggle, group members and Turkish leaders say. Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exerted a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions. The PKK's decision could boost NATO member Turkey's political and economic stability and encourage moves to ease tensions in neighbouring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US Ankara welcomed the decision to dissolve, it does not guarantee peace. Rather it paves the way for agreeing to a tricky legal framework for securely disarming the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. "The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure... and end the armed struggle," Firat news agency reported it as saying on Monday in the closing declaration of a congress held last week in northern Iraq, where the group is based. A PKK official separately confirmed the decision and said all military operations would cease immediately, adding weapon handovers were contingent on Ankara's response and approach to Kurdish rights, and the fate of PKK fighters and leaders. Kurds make up 20 per cent of Turkey's 86 million population. The PKK held the congress in response to a February call to disband from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island south of Istanbul since 1999. It said on Monday that he would manage the process. However, it was not clear whether Ankara agreed to Ocalan's continued role, which polls suggest could be unpopular among Turks. It was also unclear how the process would affect the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria. YPG leads a US-allied force against Islamic State there and is regarded by Turkey as a PKK affiliate. YPG has previously said Ocalan's call did not apply to it, contradicting Ankara's view. It did not immediately comment on the PKK's announcement. The disbanding will give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a chance to boost development in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has impaired the regional economy for decades. Turkey would take necessary measures to ensure smooth progress towards a "terror-free" country after the PKK decision, said the presidency's communications director, Fahrettin Altun. In its statement, the PKK said it "has completed its historic mission", which over the years shifted to seeking greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in southeast Turkey, rather than an independent state. "The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics," it said on the Firat website. The PKK decision comes amid tumult in Turkish politics: Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main challenger, was jailed in March pending corruption charges in a move that sparked the country's largest protests in a decade. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed. Ending the insurgency would remove a constant flashpoint in Kurdish-run, oil-rich northern Iraq, while facilitating efforts by Syria's new administration to assert greater sway over areas in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces. Ocalan's call was prompted by a surprise proposal in October by Devlet Bahceli, Erdogan's ultra-nationalist ally. It had been welcomed by the United States, the European Union and also by Iraq and Iran, which have significant Kurdish populations.
Saudi Gazette
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Kurdish PKK militants announce decision to dissolve after decades of conflict with Turkey
ISTANBUL — The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said on Monday it would dissolve itself, in what would be a historic move after decades of conflict with Turkey that have killed tens of thousands of people. The militant group said in a statement Monday that 'all activities' conducted under the group's name have come to an end. The Kurdish issue has come 'to a point where it can be resolved through democratic politics,' the PKK said in a statement. The 12th Congress, a high-level decision-making meeting by the group, has 'resolved to dissolve the PKK's organizational structure and end the armed struggle,' the statement said, adding that the implementation of the process will be managed and led by their imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. The statement did not clarify whether the decision would apply to all PKK affiliates in Iraq, Syria, and Iran, nor did it outline how disarmament would be carried out or what would become of existing fighters. The group said that 'rebuilding Turkish-Kurdish relations is inevitable,' and that the decision was also influenced by 'current developments in the Middle East.' It also called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government and all political parties to 'assume responsibility and join the peace and democratic society process.' The Turkish presidency said on Monday that the PKK's decision is an indication that the 'Terror-Free Turkey process' under Erdogan 'has gained strength and come to an important stage,' adding that all 'necessary measures will be taken' to ensure that the process progresses. The spokesperson for the president's Justice and Development (AK) Party said the decision could lead to a 'new era.' 'If terrorism is completely ended, the door to a new era will open,' Omer Celik said, adding that 'this decision must be implemented in practice and realized in all its dimensions.' For almost five decades, Turkey has been at war with the PKK, founded by Ocalan in 1978. Much of the fighting has focused on the group's desire to establish an independent Kurdish state in the country's southeast. But in recent years the group has called for more autonomy within Turkey instead. In March, the PKK declared an immediate ceasefire after Ocalan called on fighters to lay down their arms and dissolve the group. The conflict is estimated to have killed at least 40,000 people. The Kurdish people have had a complicated relationship with Erdogan. The Turkish leader courted the Kurds in earlier years by granting them more rights and reversing restrictions on the use of their language. In 2013, Erdogan worked with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on the brief peace process with the PKK. Talks collapsed and ties soured in 2015. Turkey's war with the PKK has led to a sweeping crackdown in recent years against pro-Kurdish parties, who have been accused by the Turkish government of having links to the group and its affiliates. Kurds are the biggest minority in Turkey, making up between 15% and 20% of the population, according to Minority Rights Group International. They also have a significant presence in northern Syria, northern Iraq and Iran. — CNN
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Kurdish armed group PKK disbands itself, ends 40-year fight against Turkey
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought against Turkey and its ruling establishment for over 40 years, has decided to disband and end its armed struggle. The move is seen as a major step towards peace and stability in the region. read more The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting the Turkish state for over 40 years, has decided to disband and end its armed struggle, Firat news agency which is close to the group reported on Monday. This decision is expected to bring major political and security changes in the region, including in Iraq and Syria, where Kurdish forces work with US troops and have key stronghold. The PKK insurgency, which began in 1984, has claimed over 40,000 lives. The group is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The PKK has completed its historic mission,' the group said, according to Firat news agency. This statement followed a congress held last week in northern Iraq, where the PKK is based. The congress was called in response to a February request from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to disband. The PKK's 12th Congress decided to dissolve its organizational structure and end its armed struggle, with the process managed by Ocalan, also known as Leader Apo. 'The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics,' the statement said. The PKK's decision to disband gives President Tayyip Erdogan a chance to boost development in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, where the conflict has hurt the economy for decades. Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan's ruling AK Party, called the move 'an important step toward a terror-free Turkey.' Turkey's foreign ministry has not yet commented, though any announcement related to the development is expected.
