SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared a ceasefire with Turkey on Saturday following a call from jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for the group to disband and dissolve.
The PKK, in its first response to Ocalan’s appeal, said it would implement his call for peace and lay down arms, with no attacks unless provoked.
“We agree with the content of the call as it is and we say that we will follow and implement it,” the PKK executive committee said.
Ocalan, imprisoned since 1999, urged the PKK on Friday to convene a congress to formally dissolve.
According to the PKK statement, a congress would be convened as Ocalan wanted, but “a suitable secure environment must be created” and Ocalan “must personally direct and lead it for the congress to be successful.”.
The group also called for improved conditions for Ocalan, including freedom to communicate with others.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Ocalan’s appeal as a “historic opportunity” and expressed hope for a successful resolution to the conflict.
Iraq also welcomed the move, calling it a step toward stability, while the PKK’s presence in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region remains a point of tension between Baghdad and Ankara.