Ocalan’s call, prompted by a surprise proposal in October by Devlet Bahceli, an ultra-nationalist ally of Erdogan, has been welcomed by the United States, the European Union and other Western allies, as well as by Türkiye‘s neighbours Iraq and Iran.
On Saturday, Bahceli said he welcomed the PKK’s statement to heed Ocalan’s call, saying there can be no negotiating with the PKK and that its disarmament and disbandment, along with all its extensions, would be beneficial for everyone.
“In such a critical environment and circumstances, a historic window of opportunity has been opened for Türkiye,” he said in a statement, adding nobody should be allowed to derail the process.
Türkiye has tried to take advantage of regional geopolitical developments after the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad following 11 years of civil war, in which Ankara backed rebels seeking his overthrow.
The new Islamist government in Damascus has established good ties with Türkiye, which continues to back Syrian Arab fighters in a conflict against Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.
Since Assad’s fall, Türkiye has repeatedly demanded that the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the YPG militia disarm, warning of military action otherwise. However, the SDF said that while Ocalan’s call was positive, it did not apply to them.
