PKK disbandment now paves: the way for US and Turkiye to improve relations: Analysis

PKK disbandment now paves the way for US and Turkiye to improve relations: Analysis

• PKK disbandment

The Kurdistan Workers Party known as the PKK has announced its decision to disband and disarm as part of a peace initiative with torque. The announcement and four decades of armed struggle against the Turkish government. So the Kurdish armed group the Kurdistan Workers Party was founded in 1978 by Adda Laoalan. In 1984, it launched an armed insurgency against torque seeking independence, but later pushed for Kurdish rights and autonomy. More than 40 thousand people have since been killed in the conflict. Their PKK operates from mountain strongholds in northern Iraq. Turyea regularly strikes its bases despite Iraq saying the attacks violate its sovereignty.
It’s also linked to YPG fighters in Syria, a key US ally against ISISIL and this has created tension between Turku and the US as anchors sees the YPG as part of the PKK. Torque. The United States and the European Union classify the PKK as a terrorist organization, while its supporters call it a resistance movement. Well’ll now speak to Matthewryza, who’s a former US diplomat joining us from Istanbul this hour. Thanks for your time so back. In February, there was a statement that was issued by the pkk’s leader Abddala Oalan, in which he called on the organization to lay down its arms, so in that sense was this decision expected and what’s your reaction to it?
Yes. Ireen. This was expected. The leadership organization of the PKK had said. Okay, we’re going to have a congress and then we’ll take our next round of decisions and that just happened on Friday. So Oilman announced that everything was moving in this direction. Now the organization itself has officially announced. We are disbanding and laying down our arms. My reaction is this a gigantic development for Turkey, both for its internal security. This has been an insurgency going on since 1984, but also for Turkish foreign policy because as you mentioned, the pkk’s affiliate in Syria, the YPG, had been an ally of the United States that created huge tensions between the US and Turkey. And so the disbanding the PKK clears a way now for US Turkey relations. Now it can improve dramatically.
And also Turkana faced a lot of criticism internationally as you just said by the Iraqi government for his raids against the PKK leadership on Iraqi territory and by others because of its fight against these KISH militias which led many in the international community to say that Turkey is against the Kurd, so that was a black spot on turkey’s record and made it more difficult for Turke to play the role it aspires to especially in the Middle East, which is one a big a stabilizing force. Okay, look, let me just ask you about Syria since you brought it up. I mean, is it clear how this decision will affect Syria?
Well it is a few weeks ago the YPG agreed at the urging of the new government in Syria of Alshara that it there in Syria would integrate itself into the Syrian military so that problem has been being resolved for a while from Hokeras perspective and so by now with the PKK having dissolved that will make the tensions less the political tensions in Syria that were involving the YPG and then enhanced turn own role in aspiration to help Syria rebuild this government rebuild this economy and thereby help Turin really expand its influence in Syria which is already quite large. And any clarity Matthewryer on how the PKK will actually surrender their weapons. How is this process going to work.
That’s a great question that is complex. No. There’s not clarity on that what the PKK has announced to its affiliated news agency is that itss leader Abdulla Hojaan imprisoned here in Isan Wil since 1999 on terrorism charges, that he will lead this overall process of the dismantling of the PKK. So it seems those detailed at least well, they definitely have not been announced. But I think still need to be worked out. And I think that PKK statement that I just cited is a suggestion that this is all contingent on OTO. I’m getting released from prison here in TUR, which has been discussed for the last Feder moment. Okay, well, leave it there. Matthew Brier, you’re a former US diplomat speaking to us from Istanbodaauur. Thank you, thank you.
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