PKK to hold symbolic disarmament ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan

Shafaq News – Ankara

A symbolic disarmament ceremony by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) will take place soon in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, marking a new phase in efforts to end decades of conflict with Turkiye, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) announced on Saturday.

In a statement, DEM described the moment as “historic,” signaling a new stage in the pursuit of peace and democratic reform. The initiative follows the PKK’s announcement in May that it would dissolve and lay down arms after more than 40 years of armed struggle that claimed over 40,000 lives. The decision came in response to a February call by the group’s jailed founder, Abdullah Ocalan, urging an end to armed resistance.

According to DEM, the upcoming ceremony is part of a broader “new solution process” launched following a public appeal by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli. Talks have included proposals to form a parliamentary committee before the summer recess to oversee the disarmament process and other peace-related arrangements.

The party said the PKK is expected to hold the symbolic handover event within a week, with photos to be released once preparations are complete.

Two PKK officials confirmed this week that several fighters would publicly destroy their weapons in a gesture of goodwill. One told AFP that combatants who had previously fought Turkish forces would burn or break their weapons during the ceremony. Representatives from political parties, the media, and local observers are expected to attend. The exact date and location have not been disclosed.

A second official said Ocalan is expected to issue a new message regarding the process in the coming days. Ocalan has been imprisoned since 1999 on Imrali Island near Istanbul, with limited communication permitted.

DEM, which has served as a communication channel between Ocalan and the Turkish government, is scheduled to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan next week, ahead of a planned prison visit. The party called on all segments of Turkish society to support the democratic transition and denounced interference with public will.

Most PKK fighters in recent years have been based in northern Iraq’s mountainous terrain, where Turkiye maintains a network of military outposts and regularly conducts cross-border operations.