Ahmet Turk, Sirri Sureyya Onder, Pervin Buldan and Tuncer Bakirhan, politicians and lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), arrive at a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, February 27, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's 40-year battle against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) could be nearing an end after its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called on the militant group on Thursday to lay down its arms and disband.
Ocalan's statement, announced by the opposition pro-Kurdish DEM party that held three recent meetings with the PKK leader at his island prison, comes four months after the idea was first raised by a political ally of President Tayyip Erdogan.
