Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the formal end of the 47-year-long terrorist campaign by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), hailing the development as a turning point for peace and progress in the region. Speaking to party leaders following the symbolic disarmament of 30 PKK militants, Erdoğan said: “The era of terrorism that has plagued our nation for nearly half a century is over. It is time to leave behind a bloody past and look ahead to a future of unity and prosperity.”
The disarmament ceremony, in which militants destroyed their weapons voluntarily in a gesture of goodwill and commitment to peace, marked a historic moment in Turkey’s decades-long struggle against PKK-led insurgency. “We are destroying our arms, in your presence, as a voluntary act of goodwill and determination,” the militants reportedly said.
President Erdoğan made it clear that the government had not engaged in any negotiations or quid pro quo arrangements with the outlawed group. “There has been no bargaining, no dialogue,” he affirmed. “This outcome is a result of our firm stance and the resolve of our security forces.”
He further stated that the dissolution of the PKK would not only pave the way for Turkey’s internal stability, but also create new opportunities for peace and development in neighboring Syria and Iraq—two countries long affected by the group’s cross-border operations.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, had waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, resulting in over 40,000 deaths, including civilians and security personnel.
The Turkish leadership has welcomed the end of the group’s armed activities as a victory for national unity and a major step forward in regional counterterrorism efforts.
