ROME (ITALPRESS) – In a historic announcement from Istanbul today, Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disband and lay down its arms. “All armed groups must lay down their arms and the PKK must disband,” he said in the announcement read by a delegation of pro-Kurdish parliamentarians from the People’s Justice and Democracy Party (HDP) who visited him in prison this morning. Ocalan also added that the party’s message is peace, stressing that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party was founded at a difficult time.He explained that the PKK was founded at a time when “the existence of the Kurds had been denied and the Kurds were forced to form the Kurdistan Workers’ Party to face challenges.” In addition, the Kurdish leader’s statement emphasized the need for all armed groups to lay down their weapons.For his part, Justice and Development Party Vice Chairman Efkan Ala said, “The essence of this call is to give up weapons and disband the terrorist organization, and we are waiting for the final result on the ground.” This came after a delegation from the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party (HDP) visited Ocalan in the prison where he is being held on Imrali Island, south of Istanbul.This is Ocalan’s (75-year-old) third visit since last December (2024). The visit is also part of the Turkish government’s attempt to push Ocalan to ask the Kurdistan Workers’ Party to lay down its arms, which could end the rebellion campaign against the Turkish state that he has been waging since 1984 and that has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. The move has a major impact on Turkey after a four-decade conflict that has caused extensive economic damage and fueled social tensions.This will also divert attention from the reaction of PKK leaders in the mountains of northern Iraq. Since 1999, the Kurdish leader has lived in almost total isolation in Imrali, unable to communicate with the outside world except rarely.
– Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
