The leader of the PKK terrorist group, Abdullah Öcalan, made a historic appeal on Thursday in which he called on the armed organisation to lay down its weapons and proceed to the dissolution of the organisation after more than four decades of armed conflict that have left more than 40,000 dead in Turkey.
‘As any contemporary community or party that has not been forcibly dissolved would voluntarily do, I urge you to convene your congress, integrate with the state and society, and make a decision: all groups must lay down their arms, and the PKK must dissolve itself,’ said Öcalan in a historic letter read during a mass press conference called in Istanbul by a delegation from the Kurdish nationalist party DEM – often accused in Turkey of having links with the PKK – which visited Öcalan in the prison island of Imrali, and which was echoed by numerous media outlets.
The leader of the terrorist organisation stated in the document that the dissolution of the group is necessary given that it was created in the 20th century, a period marked by ‘intense violence, two world wars, the birth and fall of authentic socialism, the Cold War and the denial of Kurdish identity’; restrictions on freedom – especially freedom of expression – which, according to Öcalan, ended up shaping the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party).
‘The collapse of real socialism in the 1990s due to internal reasons, the erosion of identity denial in the country, and advancements in freedom of expression have led to the PKK’s loss of meaning and excessive repetition. Therefore, like its counterparts, it has reached the end of its lifespan, making its dissolution necessary,’ said Öcalan, adding that the second century of the Republic of Turkey must be built on the foundations of democratic principles to achieve a lasting peace and unity, regardless of any other path that rejects democratic consensus.
‘I call on the PKK to lay down their weapons’
‘The call made by Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, along with the determination expressed by Mr. President (Erdoğan) and the positive approaches of other political parties towards the well-known call, has created this climate, and in this context, I am making the call to lay down arms and taking on the historical responsibility of this call’, concluded Öcalan, referring to the call made last October by Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahçeli, later supported by Erdoğan himself, to initiate a process of dialogue with the PKK; in that call – not without controversy – Bahçeli even suggested that Öcalan himself could go to the parliament building in Ankara to give a speech and announce the dissolution of the terrorist group.
The historic announcement made by Öcalan calling for the dissolution of the PKK, which was followed on large giant screens installed in the streets of cities in SE Turkey, was read during a press conference attended by the two co-presidents of the DEM as well as several prominent deputies of this Kurdish nationalist party, which has a strong presence in the southeast of the country. During the appearance, a new photo was released showing Öcalan – holding the letter with the appeal – who was visited today by a DEM delegation in the prison where he has been serving a life sentence since he was captured in Kenya in 1999.
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As a history lover, Pablo Gómez was captivated by Turkey from the first day he visited it in 2006: he got married there, has a house there… and has since become an expert on Turkey’s current affairs. With a long experience in media, he has been at the helm of hispanatolia.com since 2011.
