PKK disarmament was ‘very emotional,’ says DEM Party MP

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A member of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party said the ceremonial disarmament of 30 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in Sulaimani province on Friday was a “very emotional” event.

“It was a very important ceremony, a very emotional one. We experienced a truly significant day. We witnessed a significant historical moment together,” Sezai Temelli told Rudaw.

Temelli is a member of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) and former co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

In front of the historic Jasana Cave, 30 PKK fighters, half of them women, placed their weapons in a large cauldron where they were burned in a symbolic disarmament ceremony as part of ongoing negotiations with Ankara to end the four-decade-long conflict.

Temelli said it was “a very important day for Kurdish peace in the future,” and sends a message to the whole world about the “permanence of peace in both Turkey and the Middle East, and for ensuring peace in the region.”

“I hope this step will strengthen the hopes of all the Kurdish people, all the Kurdish people in the four parts of Kurdistan, and the peoples of the region, meet their expectations, and lead to very positive developments in the future,” he added. 

The PKK was founded in 1978 with the demand for an independent Kurdish state. Over the years, it shifted its focus toward securing greater cultural and political rights for Kurds in Turkey. More than 40,000 people have been killed throughout four decades of conflict. 

In a video message released Wednesday, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who earlier this year had called on his group to lay down arms and disband, called for the formation of a parliamentary commission to guide the peace process.

Temelli echoed that call for political steps. 

“With Turkey’s democratization, the Kurdish issue will inevitably be resolved,” he said. “Therefore, the first step should be the establishment of a parliamentary commission.”

“Through these efforts, it will ensure legal safeguards that pave the way for legal amendments and constitutional amendments that stand in the way of democratic politics, and will ensure steps towards integration are taken,” he explained.

Temelli said there is not much time, because parliament will soon begin its summer recess. “Now, the duty of the Turkish parliament, the duty of Turkish politics, is to take the steps to implement this. Parliament will be closed within the next two weeks. Establishing this commission before the parliament closes is crucial.”

Temelli said that the commission’s work and the preparation of draft legislation must remain a priority, even without a clear timetable for the PKK’s full disarmament. 

“The faster and more groundbreaking the developments in politics and the law, the more the rest of the timetable will follow,” he said.

Turkish government officials have demanded a full disarmament of the PKK and its affiliates.

Temelli’s party, the DEM Party, also welcomed the PKK’s disarmament ceremony.

In a joint statement, co-chairs Tulay Hatimogullari and Tuncer Bakirhan described the ceremony as “a call to a democratic, fair, equal, and free life,” and said that the decision to lay down arms signaled not only the potential resolution of the Kurdish issue but also the broader democratization of Turkey. “This ceremony has strengthened the hope of our peoples for the future,” the statement read.

“The people will be the winners. The winners will be equality, democracy, and peace,” the co-chairs stated, adding that “now is the time to grow the struggle for democratic politics.