The Erbil-based Rudaw Media Network in Iraq recently reported that, “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that his country is engaged in talks with its neighbors on disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).”
This is a significant development relating to the PKK’s announcement of its decision to “dissolve its organizational structure and end the armed struggle” against Turkey. It is not clear when this will happen.
“Discussions are ongoing with our counterparts in neighboring countries regarding how the terrorists beyond our borders will surrender their weapons,” Erdogan has said. “The complete disarmament of the terrorist organization, the full implementation of the dissolution decision, and the abandonment of illegality are essential requirements,” he noted.
The PKK was founded in 1978 and since then has been engaged in a long conflict with Turkey’s government. The PKK was not only active in Turkey but also in neighboring countries where it had supporters among Kurdish communities, including Syria, Iraq, and Iran. In most of these countries, the PKK operated under a variety of names, often establishing various political parties and armed groups.
This model grew out of the PKK’s Marxist and communist roots, and in the 1970s and 1980s, other similar groups would often have an “armed wing” and a political wing. This model was used by the Irish Republican Army and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. As such, the PKK was never simply one entity; it was a variety of linked groups.
From Ankara’s perspective, most of these groups were all the same. Turkey views the People’s Defense Units (YPG ) in Syria, for instance, as being part of the PKK. It also accuses the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria of being linked to the YPG and PKK.
Ankara has invaded parts of northern Syria to fight the PKK and has established a dozen or more bases in northern Iraq, depopulating areas near the border as part of its war. Turkey has even carried out airstrikes in Sinjar, targeting members of the Yazidi minority who Turkey claims are linked to the PKK.
The result of the Turkey-PKK war has been incredible harm to civilians in Turkey, as well as Iraq and Syria. Many people have been caught in the crossfire, and Ankara has often justified killing unarmed activists as part of this war.
For instance, Hevrin Khalaf, a female politician, was murdered by Ankara-backed extremist groups in Syria in 2019. Kurds were also expelled from Afrin, Syria, in 2018. In Turkey, the government has also replaced Kurdish mayors and imprisoned them, saying they are “terrorists” merely for being associated with left-leaning parties that Ankara claims are linked to the PKK.
More peace in many place across Middle East
The end of the war could therefore lead to more peace in many places.
Rudaw noted that the PKK’s move to dissolve, which is “widely seen to include its disarmament, has been welcomed by regional and Western countries. A PKK spokesperson, however, said on Friday that the group has not decided to lay down arms yet as there has been no change to the security landscape in northern Kurdistan Region, where they are headquartered and have been battling Turkish forces.”
The report also notes that “Basim al-Awadi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said on Friday that Baghdad is willing to receive their weapons. He also said that a potential PKK disarmament would boost Ankara-Baghdad relations and that if the process is done properly, ‘this will certainly be encouraging and a factor in the withdrawal of all foreign forces from northern Iraq, that is, from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.’”
It is possible that the next step could lead to peace and stability in both Iraq and Syria. Eastern Syria is run by the SDF, which now has an agreement to integrate with the new government in Damascus.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad has conducted in-depth discussions with the Turkish authorities regarding the next steps for the PKK, the Rudaw report said. “There are specific visions, and there will be cooperation between the federal government in Baghdad, the Turkish government, and the Kurdistan Regional Government to deal with this important decision. We hope that this decision will be a step toward achieving peace and stability in Turkey and the region,” Hussein recently said.
Much remains unclear. However, if Ankara moves with seriousness and seeks peace, then it could lead to a reduction of tensions in the region. A lot is at stake. For instance, both Iraq and Syria would benefit from having Turkish troops withdraw. The decision could also transform Turkey’s domestic politics.