The Kurds and the Turks rebuild the spirit of unity: PKK announces break-up and handover of weapons

Kurdistan Workers' Party leader (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, has called for disarming all armed groups and has stressed that the military organisation must be disbanded.

“The solution is in historical social dynamics. Kurds and Turks must rebuild the spirit of unity and brotherhood, based on their centuries-old coalition”, Ocalan said.

The long-awaited declaration was read by MPs from the People's Freedom and Democracy Party (DEM) at a gathering titled “Call for Peace and Democratic Society”, which was held at the Elite World Hotel in Istanbul.

Ocalan stressed that the PKK has lost its sense of existence due to internal factors, the failure of true socialism in the 1990s, changes in Turkey's identity policy and progress in freedom of expression.

The Kurds and the Turks rebuild the spirit of unity: PKK announces break-up and handover of weapons

Kurdistan Workers' Party leader (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, has called for disarming all armed groups and has stressed that the military organisation must be disbanded.

“The solution is in historical social dynamics. Kurds and Turks must rebuild the spirit of unity and brotherhood, based on their centuries-old coalition”, Ocalan said.

The long-awaited declaration was read by MPs from the People's Freedom and Democracy Party (DEM) at a gathering titled “Call for Peace and Democratic Society”, which was held at the Elite World Hotel in Istanbul.

Ocalan stressed that the PKK has lost its sense of existence due to internal factors, the failure of true socialism in the 1990s, changes in Turkey's identity policy and progress in freedom of expression.

Ocalan's message will have broad implications throughout the Middle East, especially Syria, where Kurdish forces control an important territory, but also Iran and Iraq.

The 75-year-old is serving a life sentence in a prison in one of the islands south of Istanbul, after being captured by Turkish Special Forces in Kenya in 1999.

The PKK has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks since its founding in 1978, especially explosions and shootings aimed primarily at Turkish military targets.

The group claimed responsibility for an attack on a state arms company near Ankara last October, killing at least five people and injuring 22 others.

A truce between The PKK and Turkey were canceled in 2015, prompting Ankara to resume attacks on the group using intimidation and air strikes, with a target on the mountains of northern Iraq.