ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to move "faster" in its disarmament process, saying the group has yet to take concrete steps more than a year after announcing its dissolution.
“One would wish for everything to move faster. For example, the organization declared in May 2025 that it had dissolved itself and ended its armed struggle. We are now in September 2026. More than a year has passed. So far, concrete steps regarding the laying down of arms have not been taken,” Fidan told Turkish private broadcaster NTV on Saturday.
Fidan said mechanisms need to be put in place for the next stage of the process, stressing that while timing is important, the process must be handled carefully.
“There are currently certain statements and expressions of intent, but what is important in practice is for the threat to eliminate itself and cease to be a threat. This needs to be monitored very closely,” Fidan added.
His remarks come just over a month after the Turkish parliament passed a framework law setting out legal procedures for the PKK’s disarmament and the reintegration of some of its members.
The Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration was approved on August 10 with 468 votes in favor, 88 against and six abstentions. It provides for the suspension of certain investigations, prosecutions and prison sentences linked to the PKK once Turkish authorities verify that the group and its affiliated structures have ended their activities and surrendered their weapons.
The legislation is conditional on security institutions verifying the PKK’s dissolution and full disarmament, followed by confirmation from Turkey’s National Security Council and publication of its decision in the Official Gazette.
The PKK has criticized provisions of the law, saying it contains “serious errors and flaws” and does not sufficiently address the broader Kurdish issue. The group has particularly objected to the absence of provisions defining the role and future status of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and has called for guarantees allowing its members to participate in democratic politics after laying down their arms.
The group has also criticized the law for not explicitly referring to the Kurdish issue, arguing that disarmament cannot be separated from wider political and democratic reforms. Senior PKK figure Mustafa Karasu described the legislation after its passage as a “beginning,” while saying it had many shortcomings and should be followed by further democratization measures.
Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on Imrali island since 1999, called on the PKK in February 2025 to disarm and dissolve. The group announced its dissolution and an end to its armed struggle in May that year.
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