ANKARA (Realist English). Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared the beginning of a new era as militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) began disarming, marking a symbolic step toward ending a four-decade conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
In a televised speech on Saturday, Erdoğan said the nation had “turned a new page in history,” following the handover of weapons by a group of 30 PKK fighters near their base in northern Iraq, where they publicly destroyed their arms. The move came on the instructions of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who earlier this year called on the group to disband.
“The scourge of terrorism has begun the process of ending,” Erdoğan said. “The doors to a great and strong Turkey, to the Turkish century, have been flung wide open.”
It was Erdoğan’s most emphatic endorsement yet of efforts to resolve the conflict, as Turkey, the EU, and the U.S. all officially designate the PKK as a terrorist group. In a notable shift in tone, the Turkish leader also acknowledged past abuses by the state — including extrajudicial killings, torture, and bans on the Kurdish language — and estimated the conflict has cost Turkey as much as $2 trillion since the PKK’s armed campaign began in 1984.
Erdoğan linked the disarmament to broader regional stability, suggesting it could benefit Kurdish populations in Syria, where groups affiliated with the PKK have controlled significant territory with U.S. support. Ankara has long viewed those forces as an extension of the PKK and launched multiple cross-border military operations against them since 2016. Erdoğan now says he expects these fighters to be absorbed into Syrian state security structures, following last year’s collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
However, Erdoğan offered no detailed roadmap for peace. He confirmed that a parliamentary commission will be formed to consider legal reforms and expressed hope for cooperation with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Dem) — the third-largest party in parliament — on shaping potential legislation.
Dem has demanded the release of political prisoners and constitutional recognition of Kurdish cultural rights. While the PKK reiterated its call for Öcalan’s release on Friday, Erdoğan stressed that the peace process does not involve direct negotiations or concessions. Öcalan remains imprisoned for treason following his 1999 conviction.
Erdoğan’s push for reconciliation may also have political calculations. His ruling alliance lacks the votes to change the constitution alone — for example, to remove presidential term limits or trigger early elections. Support from Dem lawmakers could prove decisive if Erdoğan seeks re-election in 2028.
His last attempt at peace with the PKK collapsed in 2015, triggering a violent resurgence in the conflict and mass arrests of Kurdish politicians and activists. Thousands remain in prison today.
Whether the latest disarmament gesture signals lasting peace or a tactical pause remains uncertain — but it represents the most significant overture toward ending the insurgency in nearly a decade.