There is no hope in Ocalan's unilateral peace initiative

Illustrative image: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and jailed Kurdish leader and founder of Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK Abdullah Ocalan, 2025. Photo: iKurd.net/generated using A.I.

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Abdullah Ocalan’s announcement to disarm and dissolve the Party is a blissed and a historical moment for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the entire Turkish politicians. Indeed, it is a victory for the Turkish chauvinism as they dreamt of such a day.

“I am making a call for the laying down of arms, and I take on the historical responsibility of this call,” Ocalan wrote. However, Ocalan’s announcement and call for ceasefire was widely welcomed by every nation and optimistically was analyzed as a major step for peace specifically in Turkey and the region in general.

But the world has been missing the point that peace is controlled by the Turkish leaders and by denying the political and ethnic identity of Kurds for decades, peace has fallen apart and is not able to simply revive under the current Turkish policy.

Turkey has long repudiated Kurds’ rights, indeed, the government does not officially recognize Kurds as a distinct ethnic group in Turkey. Obviously, this was the main reason for Ocalan to establish the PKK in 1984, and begin the Kurdish revolution in the region.

Ocalan’s announcement has only bolstered the claim and the argument that the PKK is being a terrorist organization instead of being a legitimate Party that struggles for Kurds’ rights. In fact, Ocalan’s statement to dissolve the PKK was not a result of an achievement for Kurds.

“…There is no bargaining or give-and-take regarding the state’s fundamental principles and the values of our nation.” Omer Çelik, the spokesman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) said.

A closer look at Ocalan’s letter which was read at the press conference by members of the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), “The shared history of Turks and Kurds is tracing back to thousands of years” he wrote.

Kurdish leader and founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, holds a U.S.-made M16 rifle in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, June 1997. Photo: AFP

As Ocalan attempted to influence the public emotionally by mentioning the shared history between the two of Turks and Kurds, he did not reject the accusation against the PKK of being a terrorist organization, conversely, in the letter, a tone of regret can be sensed.

Obviously, there has always been an aggression of the Turkish regime against the Kurds in Turkey, which caused the Kurds to become the victim. Now the question is: To which side the term “Terrorism” should apply, the PKK or the Turkish regime?

Over all, reviewing Turkish regimes from the Ottoman Empire until today’s Erdogan’s, they definitely fit in the definition of “Terrorism” However, since the designation of the PKK as a terrorist organization by the major nations of the world, the group has been in a fragile position internationally.

But the decades of struggle and sacrifice of Kurds as they were organized in the PKK were not in vain. Ocalan’s call to disband the Party can be construed as handcuffs to its members and disregard the goal of the PKK which is establishing an autonomous region for Kurds in southeastern Turkey.

“Convene your congress and make a decision; all groups must lay their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself.” Ocalan wrote. Apparently, the PKK leaders agreed and expressed their willingness to obey the call. Ocalan’s call can raise many questions such as: Has his 25 years imprisonment impacted his morale and the ideological belief in the PKK, which is disbanding the Party that has thousands of members lost their lives fighting under its flag?

Or is there a hidden purpose behind it, and the PKK leaders’ positive response to such a call is a tactic? Unless there is a concrete promise from the Turkish government to recognize Kurds’ political right in Turkey, Ocalan’s statement is a capitulation to Erdogan and his allies, and it is a political collapse which would not be a surprise for Kurds as they have always been betrayed by their own leaders.

Regardless of Ocalan’s announcement of ceasefire and peace with Turkey, the Turkish regime is in denial of the political rights of Kurds in Turkey. According to Turkey’s Defense ministry on Thursday, the Turkish military has killed 26 PKK fighters in a clash between the two.

Commenting on this conflict, Turkey’s defense minister stated, “Continue the fight against terrorism with determination until not a single terrorist remains.” Designating the PKK as a terrorist organization is a complete misperception that Turkey created and a cover up for the Turkish heinous acts against the Kurds.

Abdullah Ocalan with Kurdish female guerrillas — Kurdish leader and the founder of PKK Abdullah Ocalan talks to Kurdish female fighters, late 1980s, 1990s. Photo: PKK

The international community, including the U.S has welcomed Ocalan’s call. Brian Hughes, the US National Security Council spokesman told CNN on Thursday that Ocalan’s statement is “a significant development and we hope that it will help assuage our Turkish allies about US counter-ISIS partners in northeast Syria. We believe it will help bring peace to this troubled region.”

Obviously, peace is under the Turkish iron hammer in the region, and the PKK is not able to completely determine the fate of peace unless Turkey eases its hammer on it.

Evidently, the 40 years conflict between Turkey and the PKK engendered more catastrophes for both Kurds and Turks civilians. But regardless of the civilian casualties, Turkey has vowed to continue its fight against the PKK.

It is less likely that Turkey would compromise and open its gate for Kurds to be an active part of the Turkish political process and be able to establish an autonomous region.

Apparently, Turkey’s major goal is to end the PKK, which can clearly be observed in the defense ministry’s statement, ”As in the call the PKK and all groups affiliated with it must end their terrorist activities, dissolve themselves, and immediately and unconditionally lay down their weapons.”

Instead of calling for disarmament of the PKK members and dissolving the Party, Ocalan had the opportunity to call for an ideological reform and shift from Marxism-Leninism to a democratic-Kurdish nationalism which can serve the interest of the Kurdish community of all classes and align with today’s world democracy.

Moreover, in his letter which was read by the (DEM) Party, Ocalan pointed at the Socialism ideology which is embraced by the PKK, and he realized that the era of such an ideology is over. Ocalan blamed Capitalism for ethnic conflicts, but he definitely knows the fact that the Turkish political system has been the main opposition to Kurds’ political rights, not the global Capitalism, especially since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.

Devlet Bahceli and Abdullah Ocalan — Illustrative photo: Devlet Bahceli (L), the head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a poster of Turkey’s jailed Kurdish leader and PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan 2024. Photo: iKurd.net/AK Party/Firat News Agency ANF

When Davlet Bahceli, the Chairman of National Movement party (MHP) in October of 2024, invited Ocalan to appear in the Turkish Parliament to publicly announce the dissolution of the PKK, his intention was to end the organization only.

Bahceli did not mention Kurds’ issue and their rights as a large ethnic group in Northern Kurdistan which is Southeastern of Turkey. Obviously, with Ocalan’s announcement to dissolve the PKK, Behceli and Erdogan’s dream is becoming closer to come true.

As Ocalan’s call to dissolve the PKK was received by cheers, Turkey’s provision for Kurds in the political process is still forbidden. Seemingly, Ocalan’s dream of peace is difficult to cross Imrali Island to become a reality in Kurdistan. There is no hope in Ocalan’s unilateral peace initiative,

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.