PKK to Disband in line with the Demands of Turkey
Nuray Lydia Oglu, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) announced that it will end its struggle against the Turkish state.
In Turkey (Türkiye), this was met with joy and skepticism among Turks and Kurds – and people from different political persuasions. After all, the nation state of Turkey isn’t announcing any major concessions to the Kurds.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey said, “Today we have crossed another critical threshold. The terrorist group has decided to give up its weapons and dissolve. We consider this decision important for maintaining peace and brotherhood.”
Erdogan continued, “We consider this announcement to encompass all of the organization’s branches, including those in northern Iraq, Syria and Europe.”
Approximately 40,000 people have been killed in roughly four decades of warfare. Also, the Kurds in Iraq and Syria have suffered the convulsions of the respective policies of Turkey and the PKK.
The BBC reports, “The conflict has ranged from the mountains of northern Iraq – which became PKK headquarters in recent years – to Turkey’s biggest cities.”
Abdullah Ocalan (after languishing in prison for many years) declared that there was “no alternative to democracy.”
EU News reports, “Negotiations that will lead the PKK to lay down its arms lasted over eight months. They began last fall through the mediation of the pro-Kurdish DEM party. They came to fruition when, on Feb. 27, Kurdish leader and theorist of Democratic Confederalism, Abdullah Öcalan – imprisoned for 26 years on the island prison of Imrali, off the coast of Istanbul – called on his movement to end guerrilla warfare. The PKK immediately ordered a ceasefire with Turkey until yesterday’s (May 12) announcement that “the 12th Congress of the PKK decided to disband the PKK’s organizational structure and end its armed struggle.”
AP News reports, “Some analysts have suggested the Kurdish movement could potentially receive concessions including improvement in Ocalan’s prison conditions, release or amnesty for jailed Kurdish politicians — including Selahattin Demirtas, the former leader of the country’s pro-Kurdish party — and guarantees against the removal from office of Kurdish mayors.”
It remains to be seen if peace will finally emerge where Turks and Kurds can freely express themselves in Turkey outside the grips of Erdoğan.
In the past, Erdoğan focused on expanding his power control mechanisms internally and externally. Also, he is prone to change direction like a chameleon. Therefore, the road ahead remains difficult given the recent history of Turkey under the leadership of Erdoğan.
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi and her website – Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK