Sulaymaniyah ceremony marks critical juncture in PKK’s disarmament journey

By News Centre

Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the separatist terrorist organization PKK, reiterated his call for the terrorist organization to lay down its arms in a video message. Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence at ?mral? F-Type High Security Closed Penitentiary, stated that he continues to defend his call, issued on February 27th, to "lay down its arms and dissolve the PKK."

Öcalan stated that the point reached should be considered valuable and historic. He stated that these developments were the result of the talks held in ?mral?, and that care was taken to ensure that the talks were conducted on the basis of free will. Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization, stated that the stage reached necessitated the implementation of new steps, adding, "The overall process is important: the voluntary disarmament and the comprehensive commission established by the Turkish Grand National Assembly with authority and by law."

Öcalan, stating that the PKK had abandoned its nation-state goal and ceased to exist, continued: “It is expected that the historical point reached will be further advanced. It should be considered natural that you openly ensure the disarmament of the relevant circles and the public in a way that makes sense for the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the commission, alleviates public doubts, and fulfills our promise. The establishment of a disarmament mechanism will advance the process.”

Öcalan stated that the details of disarmament would be determined and implemented swiftly, saying, “The Democratic Movement Party (DEM), under the umbrella of Parliament, will do its part, along with other parties, to ensure the success of this process. I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and I call on you to implement this principle. Recent developments in the region clearly confirm the importance and urgency of this historic step we have taken.”

DEM Party Spokesperson Ay?egül Do?an said, “We will be there on July 11th (tomorrow) to witness this historic moment, to observe the steps taken in accordance with the decision of the May 12th congress to be held in Sulaymaniyah.” Do?an made a statement at her party headquarters regarding Öcalan’s new call, saying, “We consider this a historic moment, a historic development that will also define Türkiye’s second century.” Noting that the PKK will hold a disarmament ceremony in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on July 11th, Do?an said, “Öcalan’s statement contains very clear statements. He wants weapons to be completely deactivated. Left unfinished in 1993, today we are talking about a new page for the expansion of the political sphere and the complete deactivation of weapons. This should not be left unfinished.”