Shafaq News- Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkiye would continue strengthening ties with Kurds across the region and protecting their rights, while predicting greater stability for Syria's Kurdish population.
“Syria's Kurds will have their share of peace and stability,” Erdogan told Al Jazeera, adding that Turkiye would support Syria's stability and that he planned to visit the country in the coming period.
On Monday, the Turkish parliament passed legislation setting out a legal framework for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) under the “Terror-Free Turkiye” process. The law covers offenses including PKK membership, assistance and promotion, as well as crimes committed in connection with the group’s activities and terrorism financing on its behalf.
The legislation follows a major shift in the four-decade conflict between Turkiye and the PKK. Founded in 1978, the group has waged an armed campaign against the Turkish state since 1984, in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people. Turkiye, the United States and the European Union designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Last year, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group to lay down its arms and dissolve, opening the way for the current process aimed at ending the decades-long conflict.