Broad political support for Öcalan’s call for PKK dissolution
ANKARA
The government and opposition parties have largely welcomed a call from jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan for the terror group to lay down arms and dissolve itself.
"If PKK lays down its weapons, Türkiye will be freed from its shackles," ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy leader Efkan Ala said in a televised interview with A Haber on Feb. 27.
Ala credited President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's counterterrorism policies for garnering international recognition.
"He has resolutely done what needed to be done to remove terrorism from Türkiye's agenda. The AKP has taken serious initiatives in all these processes," Ala said. "For the latest call, we should look at and focus on the result."
AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik, for his part, rejected reports that the government had "entered into a bargain" with the PKK.
"There is no such thing in any way," he said at a press briefing in Istanbul. "From our point of view, the call is evaluated through the lens of a terrorism-free Türkiye."
Çelik also said not only PKK's organization in Iraq but also YPG, which Ankara sees as its Syrian offshoot, should be dismantled.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a key AKP ally, also signaled support for the development. The party's Istanbul head Sertel Selim shared a photo of Erdoğan and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli on X, writing, "Great deeds require courage and determination. Those who think highly lead great causes."
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) convened an extraordinary meeting following the announcement.
"We will not withhold the contributions we have made so far," CHP leader Özgür Özel said after the talks, urging a parliamentary-led process that ensures transparency and inclusivity.
"We are aware of our responsibility for a solution that prioritises the views of the whole society, the consent of the families of martyrs, veterans and all victims for democracy, the rule of law and social peace."
Several other opposition leaders also reacted positively. Bülent Kaya, parliamentary leader of the New Path Party — the umbrella group representing Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA Party), Future Party and Felicity Party — described Öcalan's statement as "positive."
DEVA Party leader Ali Babacan called it a "historic development" and urged PKK to follow through without hesitation.
Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu echoed these sentiments, calling for a "concrete road map" to ensure the process is "result-oriented and incorporates lessons from past experiences."
Meanwhile, nationalist opposition parties sharply criticized the move. İYİ (Good) Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu accused the government of "bringing PKK into the [ruling] People's Alliance under the guise of dissolving it."
The far-right Victory Party vowed to "undermine" the process, calling it an act of "treason."
Öcalan's historic statement was read by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) at a televised event on Feb. 27.
"As in the case with any modern community and party whose existence has not been abolished by force, would voluntarily do, convene your congress and make a decision; all groups must lay their arms and PKK must dissolve itself," Öcalan was quoted as saying.
“The collapse of real socialism in the 1990s for internal reasons and the dissolution of identity denial in the country, as well as developments in freedom of expression, led to PKK's lack of meaning and excessive repetition."
The DEM Party's three subsequent visits to Öcalan in two months were the first since members of the pro-Kurdish party’s predecessor, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), met with him in April 2015.
His engagement with politicians became possible after Bahçeli invited him to come to the parliament to renounce terror and disband PKK.
Erdoğan backed the appeal as a "historic window of opportunity."
PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.
