Latest news with #AbdullahÖcalan
Saba Yemen
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Ocalan Calls for New Pact Based on "Brotherhood" Between Kurds,Turks
Istanbul - (Saba): In a new message from prison, the leader of the disbanded Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, called for a new pact "based on brotherhood" to reform Kurdish-Turkish relations. Kurdish media reported that Öcalan said in his message: "There is a need for a new pact based on brotherhood. What we are doing is a major change in the paradigm." He continued: "The essence of the Kurdish-Turkish relationship is something completely different. What is being destroyed is the relationship between brothers. Brothers and sisters are fighting, and one cannot exist without the other. We will remove the traps and debris that are destroying this relationship, one by one, and repair all the damaged roads and collapsed bridges." Öcalan's message was revealed by a delegation from the Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Türkiye after a visit to Imrali Prison to meet with Öcalan. This visit by the HDP delegation, which included parliamentarian Pervin Buldan and lawyer Faik Özgür Oral, marked the fifth visit by the party's delegates to Öcalan and the first since the PKK announced its disbandment and disarmament. The first visit by the HDP delegation to Öcalan took place on December 28, 2024, followed by a second visit on January 22, which lasted approximately four hours. Following the third visit, which included a seven-person delegation, the party delegation held a press conference in Istanbul on February 27, during which they revealed Öcalan's letter calling on the PKK to disband and disarm, emphasizing his historical responsibility for this call. On April 21, the party delegation made its fourth visit to Öcalan. In recent days, the PKK announced it would hold a conference during which it decided to disband the party and lay down its weapons. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PKK reportedly disbands, ending four decade long armed conflict with Turkiye
Listen to article The PKK terror group has officially declared its dissolution, bringing an end to over four decades of armed conflict with the Turkish state. This significant decision was announced by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet closely affiliated with the outfit. The PKK's 12th congress, held in northern Iraq, concluded with a resolution to disband and cease its armed struggle, aligning with a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, who has advocated for peace and democratic solutions. The Turkish government's response remains cautious, with officials expressing hope that this development will lead to lasting peace. The PKK, recognised as a terrorist group by NATO, the United States and the European Union, has taken some 40,000 lives in its terror campaign against Türkiye that began in the late 1970s. Greek authorities said in 1999 that Athens had given Ocalan temporary refuge at its diplomatic compound in Kenya. However, Ocalan chose to go with Kenyan authorities to the airport to fly to Amsterdam, but was captured by Turkish authorities. Ocalan was arrested by Turkish forces and sentenced to death for forming armed gangs under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment as the death penalty was abolished in Turkiye in 2004. Ocalan on February 27 this year called for the dissolution of the PKK and all groups under it, urging an end to its terror campaign. The disarmament of the terrorist group PKK could pose a threat to Israel's interests in Syria, according to Israeli media reports. According to the Israeli press, a major change is likely to take place in the region with last week's call of Abdullah Ocalan, the terrorist group ringleader, for the PKK to lay down its arms and dissolve itself. This change has the potential to harm Israel's interests while boosting Türkiye's influence, the media argued.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kurdish militant group PKK plans to disband, end conflict with Turkey
The banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has decided to disband and end its armed conflict with Turkey, the PKK-affiliated news agency ANF reported on Monday. At the end of February, the group's imprisoned founder, Abdullah Öcalan, had called on the group to formally disband and disarm. The PKK has been engaged in armed conflict and attacks since the 1980s, advocating for a Kurdish state or an autonomous region in south-eastern Turkey. However, the organization has since moved away from its demand for an independent state. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the European Union and the United States. According to the think tank International Crisis Group, approximately 40,000 people have been killed during the group's conflict with the Turkish state.
ABC News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Kurdish militants PKK to disband after four-decade insurgency against Türkiye
A Kurdish militant group that fought a four-decade insurgency against Türkiye has reportedly agreed to disband and lay down its weapons. A news agency linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is a listed terrorist organisation in Türkiye, Australia, the United States and Europe, says it resolved to disband at a meeting in eastern Türkiye last week. The group's jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, had called for the disbanding as part of a deal offered by the Turkish government for his release. The PKK began its insurgency in pursuit of a Kurdish state, then later, greater Kurdish rights and autonomy. Around 40,000 people are estimated to have died in the conflict, which devastated some large eastern Turkish cities and spilled into neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
Shafaq News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Historic turning point? PKK disbandment could reshape Middle East politics
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), long considered a major source of friction in Iraq-Turkiye relations, is reportedly on the verge of disbanding, in what could mark a 'historic turning point' in a decades-old conflict with wide regional consequences, Middle East Eye reported. The UK-based outlet cited indications that the PKK may soon formally abandon armed struggle, a move triggered by a recent call from its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan to dissolve the group. The decision, if confirmed, would raise key questions about the fate of PKK fighters entrenched in Iraq's Qandil Mountains, the party's stronghold for years. According to the report, a PKK disbandment could significantly reconfigure relations between Ankara, Baghdad, and Erbil, particularly as the group has long complicated Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability. Turkiye's evolving approach toward the PKK reportedly intensified after the Gaza war in October 2023 and the fall of al-Assad regime in Syria, which weakened Iran-aligned factions across the region. As Ankara adjusted its strategy, it expanded air and ground operations deep into Iraqi territory, including al-Sulaimaniyah and Sinjar, under its "preemptive counterterrorism" doctrine—drawing repeated criticism from Baghdad. Yet, Iraq's government—previously reluctant to confront the PKK directly—banned the group in 2023, reportedly in response to Turkiye's persistent pressure and unilateral military actions inside Iraq. The report noted that disarming the PKK could defuse tensions along the Iraq-Turkiye border, potentially paving the way for Turkish troop withdrawals. Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji previously stated that Turkish military presence in Iraq is justified primarily by the PKK's activities—implying that a resolution would remove that rationale. Furthermore, the report suggested a likely dissolution of tactical ties between the PKK and Iran, amid growing Turkish concerns over Tehran's use of armed proxies to curb Ankara's regional influence. It described disarmament as a potential boon for the Kurdistan Region, where PKK activities have hindered local governance, displaced villagers, and undermined KDP-PKK relations. The party has clashed with Peshmerga forces, and its targeting of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)—a key Turkish ally—has eroded the KDP's standing. Relations between the PKK and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have also drawn Ankara's ire, especially given the PKK's footprint in PUK-controlled al-Sulaimaniyah. Turkiye's closure of its airspace to flights from the city was a visible sign of this tension. Still, the report quoted a senior Kurdish political figure as expressing cautious optimism about disarmament efforts, saying, 'The PKK has harmed us more than it has harmed Turkiye.' According to Middle East Eye, Turkish officials acknowledge the positive role of Kurdish leaders in the disarmament push, which appears to enjoy broad domestic support in the Kurdistan Region. The KDP, in particular, could benefit by shedding the political baggage of its cooperation with Turkiye and regaining ground within Kurdish nationalist circles. Meanwhile, any disarmament trajectory is expected to lay the groundwork for Kurdish dialogue between Iraqi and Syrian factions, though ideological and territorial divisions will likely continue to shape political competition. In conclusion, the report noted that PKK disarmament could facilitate rapprochement between the KDP and PUK, and between Ankara and al-Sulaimaniyah—but warned that historical rivalries and spheres of influence will remain decisive factors in shaping regional politics in the months and years ahead.
