The PKK and Öcalan’s Historical Declaration
After 40 years of armed struggle, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the armed group that has fought for the independence and autonomy of the Kurdish people, has officially announced that it is laying down its arms in its fight against the Turkish state, which considers this organization its main enemy. This move came at the initiative of its supreme leader, Abdullah Öcalan, who is imprisoned on the island of Imrali in the Sea of Marmara, following a decision by the PKK’s Executive Committee, which is based in northern Iraq. Öcalan has not actively led the organization since 1999 (the year of his arrest), but he remains a central figure in the movement’s history. In fact, he continues to exert considerable influence over the organization and its political ideology. The decision will certainly have consequences not only in Turkey but also throughout the region, especially in Syria and Iraq, where groups allied or close to the PKK are active.[1]
It should be remembered that there are approximately 40 million Kurds in the Middle East,[2] spread across various countries (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran); 15 million live in the Anatolian region of Turkey,[3] where the armed organization developed. If words and decisions are followed by action, as is hoped, this would be a historic turning point for Turkey and much of the Middle East, which should not be underestimated.
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