The Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist armed group, announced on the 12th (local time) that it would disband and end its armed struggle against the Turkish government. This marks 40 years since the PKK began its armed struggle for the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in 1984.

According to Reuters and others, the PKK stated in a press release, "We have accomplished our historical mission," and "The PKK's struggle has shattered policies that deny and annihilate Kurds and has led us to a stage that can be resolved through democratic politics."

Participants wave a photo of Abdullah Öcalan, the founder of the Kurdish separatist armed group PKK, and the flag of the Kurdish Regional Government at a rally held in Istanbul, Turkey, in March. /Courtesy of Reuters·Yonhap News

Previously, the PKK announced in the closing declaration of its 12th congress, "We have decided to dismantle the organizational structure of the PKK and end the armed struggle." The disbandment process of the PKK will be managed by its founder, Abdullah Öcalan (75).

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey expressed its approval. Ömer Çelik, AKP spokesperson, issued a statement saying, "The decision of the PKK to disband itself and lay down its arms is a meaningful step toward achieving the goal of a 'terror-free Turkey.'"

Kurds make up about 20% of Turkey's population of 86 million. The PKK has conducted an armed struggle with the aim of establishing an independent state in the southeastern region of Turkey, where Kurds are the majority. More than 40,000 people have died as a result of ongoing clashes with the Turkish government.

However, a clue to resolving the conflict emerged last October when Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is allied with the AKP, suggested that Öcalan, who was captured in 1999 and sentenced to death, could be pardoned if he promised to abandon the organization and cease violence.

Subsequently, after behind-the-scenes negotiations between the ruling party and the pro-Kurdish opposition party, the Peoples' Democratic Party (DEM), Öcalan stated in February that "All groups must lay down their arms, and the PKK must disband itself." The PKK entered into a ceasefire with the Turkish government in March.