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Turkish President Erdogan Promotes Historic PKK Disarmament
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets the audience before addressing the members of his ruling AK Party in Ankara on July 12, 2025. — Reuters
- Erdogan celebrates PKK disarmament as a major milestone.
- Calls on parliament to fully back the disarmament effort.
- Thirty PKK fighters publicly destroy their weapons in northern Iraq.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged complete support for the disarmament of Kurdish militants, following the initial transfer of weapons from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). He described this moment as a fresh chapter for Turkey.
In a symbolic act, thirty PKK fighters set fire to their weapons in a cave in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a significant step toward ending a lengthy insurgency against Turkey.
“As of yesterday, we are witnessing the start of the end of terrorism. Today signifies a new dawn; a new chapter in our history has begun. The path to a strong, united Turkey is wide open,” Erdogan declared to members of his AK Party in Ankara.
He emphasized that recent developments have fostered unity within the nation, and he expressed hope that parliament would play an essential role in establishing a legal framework to finalize the disarmament.
“I trust that our parliament will participate broadly to support this process,” Erdogan added.
Ankara is working on establishing a parliamentary commission that would oversee the disarmament as well as the PKK’s transition into democratic governance.
The PKK, which has been in conflict with the Turkish state since 1984, decided to disband and lay down its arms in May after a public call from its long-imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
After numerous failed peace attempts, this new initiative holds the potential to resolve an insurgency that has claimed over 40,000 lives and created deep social and economic divisions in Turkey and beyond.
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