ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that his country is engaged in talks with its neighbors on disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
"Discussions are ongoing with our counterparts in neighboring countries regarding how the terrorists beyond our borders will surrender their weapons," Erdogan told reporters on his return from Albania.
"The complete disarmament of the terrorist organization, the full implementation of the dissolution decision, and the abandonment of illegality are essential requirements," he added.
The PKK said on Monday that it had decided to “dissolve its organizational structure and end the armed struggle” against the Turkish state. No timeline has been set.
The move, widely seen to include its disarmament, has been welcomed by regional and Western countries. A PKK spokesperson, however, said on Friday that the group has not decided to lay down arms yet as there has been no change to the security landscape in northern Kurdistan Region where they are headquartered and have been battling Turkish forces.
Basim al-Awadi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said on Friday that Baghdad is willing to receive their weapons.
He also said that a potential PKK disarmament would boost Ankara-Baghdad relations and that if the process is done properly “this will certainly be encouraging and a factor in the withdrawal of all foreign forces from northern Iraq, that is, from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq."
The Turkish army has established dozens of bases and outposts in northern Kurdistan Region on the pretext of fighting the PKK.
Erdogan said that the dissolution of the PKK “will also serve Iraq and Syria's peace, development, and stability.”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad has conducted in-depth discussions with the Turkish authorities regarding next steps for the PKK.
“There are specific visions, and there will be cooperation between the federal government in Baghdad, the Turkish government, and the Kurdistan Regional Government to deal with this important decision. We hope that this decision will be a step toward achieving peace and stability in Turkey and the region,” he told journalists on Wednesday.
Iraq banned the PKK in March last year.
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially pursued an independent Kurdish state but later shifted its focus toward securing broader political and cultural rights for Kurds within Turkey. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union continue to list it as a terrorist organization.
