ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that Turkey’s intelligence services will closely monitor the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to ensure the group follows through on its pledge to dissolve and disarm. He also expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for his decision to lift sanctions on Syria.
Speaking at a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which Erdogan leads, the Turkish president underscored the importance of follow-through on the PKK’s decision.
“The main thing is its execution,” Erdogan said, adding that “Our National Intelligence Organization [MIT] will diligently monitor the fulfillment of the promises made [by the PKK]."
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially sought an independent Kurdish state but later shifted its focus toward securing broader political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey.
The group announced on Monday that it would disband and end its decades-long armed conflict with the Turkish state, calling it a step toward a peaceful resolution. The announcement followed a party congress, held from May 5 to 7, during which senior PKK commanders responded to a February call from their jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan who urged them to shift toward political engagement.
The move has been welcomed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, and several Kurdish and international leaders, who described it as a potential milestone for peace and political reconciliation.
Erdogan on Wednesday stated that with the PKK’s “decision to 'dissolve itself and surrender its weapons,’ we have entered a new phase in our efforts for a terror-free Türkiye.”
“The era of terror, guns, violence, and illegality has now come to an end.”
On Syria
In an indirect reference to the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - which Ankara views as an extension of the PKK - Erdogan noted that “it is of vital importance for the [PKK] organization's extensions in Syria and Europe to acknowledge reality and join [the PKK] in the dissolution and in the process of laying down arms."
Of note, the YPG represents the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which serve as the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava). The US-backed SDF has repeatedly denied affiliation with the PKK.
On Syria as well, the Turkish president thanked US President Donald Trump for his recent pledge to lift sanctions imposed on Damascus.
Earlier in the day, Erdogan participated remotely in a high-level meeting with Trump and Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The meeting was hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
According to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Erdogan described Trump’s move as “historic,” adding that it could “open up investment opportunities in various sectors in Syria.”
“Turkey is making efforts toward” ensuring Syria would “become a stable, prosperous country that collaborates with regional countries and poses no threat to its neighbors,” he said.
Erdogan also reaffirmed Ankara’s “support for the Damascus administration in its fight against terrorist organizations, especially [the Islamic State] ISIS” and its readiness “to assist in managing and securing prisons holding ISIS terrorists.”
The US president on Tuesday announced plans to lift sanctions imposed on Syria “to give them a chance at greatness.”
A day prior, Trump had stated that he may ease US sanctions on Damascus to allow it a “fresh start,” noting that the Turkish President and “many people” had urged him to do so.
On December 8, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), then commanded by Sharaa, ousted the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa was appointed interim president in late January.
Since taking power, the new leadership in Damascus has repeatedly called on the international community to lift Assad-era sanctions, arguing that they are hindering the country’s economic recovery and post-war reconstruction.
Following Assad’s ouster, Turkey, a longtime supporter of the Syrian opposition, emerged as a key ally of the new leadership in Damascus and has further tried to expand its influence in the new Syria.
Speaking to Rudaw in late February, former US assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, David Schenker, noted that the US might acquiesce to Turkey’s request to leave Syria.
He stated that Trump’s foreign policy is largely defined by “transactionalism,” an approach that may result in “downgraded US involvement” in the region and a focus on “deal-making” instead.
Describing the Turkish president as the “Trump whisperer,” the former US official reported that Erdogan had tried to convince the US president that “Turkey can play the US role in Syria,” urging Washington “to pull out.”
Schenker explained that Turkey sees “Syria as a sphere of influence” and is open to “take up the US’s role” in the country.
