ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday hailed begin of a disarmament course of by militant Kurdish separatists as the tip of a “painful chapter” in Turkey’s troubled historical past.
Erdogan informed a gathering of his ruling AKP occasion in Ankara that the greater than 40-year-old “scourge of terrorism” for which the Kurdistan Staff’ Celebration – or PKK – was accountable is on its option to ending.
Erdogan’s remarks got here a day after female and male members of the PKK in northern Iraq forged rifles and machine weapons into a large cauldron the place they had been set on fireplace. The symbolic transfer was seen as step one towards a promised disarmament as a part of a peace course of aimed toward ending 4 many years of hostilities.
The transfer got here after PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island close to Istanbul since 1999, urged his group in February to convene a congress and formally disband and disarm. In Might the PKK introduced that it could achieve this.
The PKK had waged an armed insurgency in opposition to Turkey since 1984, initially with the intention of creating a Kurdish state within the southeast of the nation. Over time, the target advanced right into a marketing campaign for autonomy and rights for Kurds inside Turkey.
The battle, which unfold past Turkey’s borders into Iraq and Syria, killed tens of hundreds of individuals. The PKK is taken into account to be a terrorist group by Turkey, the USA and the European Union.
Earlier peace efforts between Turkey and the PKK have led to failure — most not too long ago in 2015.
“At this time the doorways of an ideal Turkey, a powerful Turkey, a Turkish century have been opened extensive,” Erdogan mentioned.
In a press release issued on Friday, the PKK mentioned the fighters who had been laying down their weapons, saying that that they had disarmed “as a gesture of goodwill and a dedication to the sensible success” of the peace course of.
“We are going to henceforth proceed our wrestle for freedom, democracy, and socialism by way of democratic politics and authorized means,” the assertion mentioned.
However Erdogan insisted that there had been no bargaining with the PKK. “The phobia-free Turkey challenge will not be the results of negotiations, bargaining or transactions.” Turkish officers haven’t disclosed if any concessions have been given to the PKK in trade for laying down their arms.
The Turkish president additionally mentioned {that a} parliamentary fee can be established to supervise the peace course of.