“Putting down weapons alone is not enough. It is necessary to eliminate illegal and intelligence structures. An accountable organization model should be developed by taking advantage of the opportunities provided to political parties and NGOs,” Fidan said during an interview with Turkey's 24 TV.
He said that Turkey’s expectations of the PKK extend beyond counterterrorism.
Earlier on Friday, the PKK said it had held a congress this week to discuss a call from the group’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to lay down arms and dissolve the party, making a shift from conflict to political struggle. The party did not reveal the outcome of the congress, but said it would make an announcement in the near future.
Kurdish politicians welcomed the PKK's congress, expressing hope for a “new era” in Turkey.
Fidan said the Turkish government is “optimistic” about the PKK’s decision.
“Everyone here wants to be good and optimistic. And the point we have really reached is the point where our national unity, integrity, democracy has reached - people having the opportunities they want, and there being no discrimination,” he said.
The PKK was founded in 1978 in response to oppression of the Kurdish population in Turkey. It initially struggled for an independent Kurdistan but now calls for greater political and cultural rights within Turkey. Ankara and its Western allies consider the group a terrorist organization.
Fidan said that the PKK issue now mainly exists in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq where the group is based and in northeast Syria.
“The PKK is not in a position to occupy a square meter of space in Turkey. The issue has essentially ceased to be my issue and has become the issue of Iraq and Syria,” he said.
If the PKK does not lay down arms and dissolve itself, then the conflict will continue to affect the region, he said.
“If it does not happen, it is not the end of life. In any case, we are already in a struggle in case it does not happen,” he said. “If this happens, truly innocent people, innocent youth going to the mountains, blood flowing, the establishment of a certain further regional order will affect both Iraq and Syria.”
A similar peace process begun between the PKK and the Turkish state in 2013 collapsed two and half years later.
