Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Friday welcomed a recent call by Abdullah Ocalan, the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK to disband and disarm the party.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement reaffirmed its solidarity with the Republic of Turkiye and hoped the call leads to tangible actions toward security, peace, and prosperity.
Ocalan’s message, which was read out in Istanbul on Thursday, marked a historic shift in the decades-long conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state.
“All groups must lay down their arms, and the PKK must dissolve itself,” he said in a declaration drafted from his cell on Imrali prison island, where he has been held in solitary confinement since 1999.
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's welcoming of the call by the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party to dissolve the party and lay down arms. pic.twitter.com/rEn0nXJhbz
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 28, 2025
The call for disarmament comes four months after Turkish authorities extended what appeared to be an olive branch to the 75-year-old PKK leader. The militant group has been engaged in an armed insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s, a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Ocalan has been a key figure in past peace negotiations, including a ceasefire attempt in 2013, though previous efforts have failed to produce a lasting resolution. His latest appeal is being closely monitored for its potential impact on Turkey’s security situation and regional stability.
