The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced its decision to implement a ceasefire with Turkey, Al Jazeera reports on March 1st. This move comes in response to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, to lay down arms. The outlawed group released a statement on Saturday through the pro-PKK Firat news agency (ANF). The announcement is seen as a significant step toward ending the four-decade-long conflict with the Turkish state. Observers view this as a potential turning point in the long-standing tensions between the two sides.
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The PKK executive committee stated in its announcement, as reported by ANF:
We agree with the content of the call as it is, and we say that we will follow and implement it.
None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked.
Öcalan issued a historic appeal from prison, urging the party to disarm, disband, and bring an end to its decades-long conflict with Turkey.
The PKK expressed hope that Ankara would release Öcalan, who has been held in near-total isolation since 1999, so he could oversee the disarmament process.
The group also emphasized that political and democratic conditions must be established for the process to succeed.
The statement did not mention a timeline for the group’s disbandment.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that Turkey would keep “its always keep our iron fist ready in case the hand we extend is left in the air or bitten”.
Speaking at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner in Istanbul on Saturday, he reinforced his stance:
We will continue our military operations if necessary.
He added that Turkey would pursue the fight until the last terrorist was eliminated, leaving no stone unturned.
Al Jazeera and agencies
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