Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

The PKK has Announced a Ceasefire in its Four-Decade-Long Conflict with Turkey

The PKK has Announced a Ceasefire in its Four-Decade-Long Conflict with Turkey

Photo

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.

Read more: Cultural Appropriation: What Offended Kyrgyz People about the Russian Brand?

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.