Erdogan voices support for PKK terror group ringleader Ocalan’s call for disarmament for first time

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly addressed PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan’s recent call for the terrorist organization to disarm and dissolve.

Erdogan thanked Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli for initiating the process, saying, “As of yesterday, the efforts for a terror-free Türkiye have entered a new phase. We now have a historic opportunity to take a step towards the goal of demolishing the wall of terrorism that has been built between our thousand-year-old brotherhood.”

Ocalan, the jailed ringleader of the PKK terrorist group, issued his long-awaited statement on Thursday, urging the PKK to lay down arms and end its fight against the state of Türkiye. The announcement follows weeks of speculation after multiple visits by officials from Türkiye’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to Imrali Island, where Ocalan has been serving a life sentence since his capture in Kenya in 1999.

Erdogan labels ringleader’s call as ‘historic opportunity’

Speaking at the “Kanal 7’s 30th Anniversary” event at the Haliç Congress Center, Erdogan referred to Ocalan’s call as a historic opportunity. “This is a historic opportunity on the path towards tearing down the wall of terrorism that has divided our thousand-year brotherhood,” he said.

Erdogan also assured that the government would remain vigilant against any potential provocations during the process, emphasizing that necessary precautions would be taken.

He added, “The winner of a terror-free Türkiye will be all 85 million people, regardless of being Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, Alevi, Sunni, or conservative oppositional.”

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S., and the EU, has waged a 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, resulting in the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and the elderly. The YPG is the PKK’s affiliate in Syria.