Istanbul: The militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced on Sunday its decision to withdraw all its forces from Turkey to northern Iraq, urging Ankara to implement legal measures to support the peace process. This move follows the group’s formal renouncement of armed struggle against Turkey in May, marking the end of a violent conflict that resulted in approximately 50,000 deaths over four decades.

According to United Nations, the PKK’s statement was delivered at a ceremony in the Qandil area of northern Iraq, where senior PKK militant Sabri Ok emphasized the need for specific legal arrangements to ensure a process compatible with freedom. The group seeks laws tailored to the peace process rather than a general amnesty, aiming to pursue a democratic struggle to safeguard the rights of the Kurdish minority, in line with the historic call by its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan.

Turkey initiated indirect talks with the PKK last year, a move supported by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The talks have led to the establishment of a cross-party parliamentary commission tasked with creating a legal framework for the PKK’s political integration. The commission is also responsible for determining the fate of Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999 and whose release remains a central PKK demand.

Analysts indicate that the PKK’s weakened state and the Kurdish public’s fatigue from prolonged violence have provided Ocalan an opportunity to transition from armed conflict. In July, the PKK held a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq, which Turkey praised as a significant turning point.

The Democratic Peoples’ Party (DEM), Turkey’s third-largest party, has been pivotal in facilitating the peace agreement. Reports suggest that a DEM delegation plans to meet with Erdogan before visiting Ocalan on Imrali Island to discuss further steps in the peace process.