Shafaq News- Ankara

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan on Tuesday declared the end of the first phase of the PKK’s dissolution process, signaling a shift toward political integration.

The announcement followed a three-hour meeting between Ocalan and an Imrali delegation. Mithat Sancar, from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), described the meeting as the ''official start of the Kurds’ democratic integration,'' noting that dissolving the PKK and ending armed struggle represents a “strategic decision” with lasting implications.

The disarmament process followed a February 2025 appeal by Ocalan urging fighters to surrender their weapons and bring an end to a 40-year conflict with Turkiye that has claimed more than 40,000 lives. Months afterwards, some PKK fighters began withdrawing from Turkish territory into northern Iraq, while symbolic disarmament events unfolded, signaling the start of what Ocalan portrayed as a transition toward peace and integration. Despite the ongoing peace process, Ankara continues to classify the group as a terrorist organization.

Read more: PKK calls it quits: Peace on the horizon in Turkiye?