Turkey-PKK Peace Process Gains Momentum

Turkey’s peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has moved from broad declarations to practical arrangements. Ankara has created four working groups to supervise the next phase, following the Kurdish movement’s defeat on the battlefield.

The groups were established by a senior body that includes Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Güler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Their tasks include monitoring PKK disarmament, supporting the social and political reintegration of Kurdish fighters, and advancing the process through legal measures.

The move came two weeks after parliament approved a landmark amnesty law covering PKK members and sympathizers. The article presents the rapid timetable as part of Ankara’s effort to maintain momentum on the Kurdish question. PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned for 26 years on an island in the Sea of Marmara, welcomed the start of work on the amnesty and called it important progress in the peace process.

Optimism is not shared by all Kurds. Turkish media quoted a PKK spokesman as demanding broader reforms, including language and cultural rights for minorities and Öcalan’s release. Under current law, Öcalan would not benefit from the amnesty.

The next test is scheduled in two months, when the National Security Council under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to assess whether the PKK has actually dissolved and disarmed. The amnesty laws can be applied only after that decision, with the council expected to consider the working groups’ assessments and the intelligence service’s view.

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It is an important progress in the peace process.