Turkey should abandon the policy of denying the Kurds and the PKK should also end its armed struggle

According to KurdPress, Murat Karaylan said in an interview with the Amarağı magazine, which was held in one of the caves where the PKK is located.K in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region, spoke about the peace process, the future of Kurdish-Turkish relations, developments in the Middle East and the prospects for resolving the Kurdish issue. He announced that after about 12 years, this is the first time he has spoken to a media outlet outside the movement’s domestic media.

Karaylan described his assessment of the peace process as neither positive nor negative, saying that this process should be seen as a stage in the struggle to open a new path towards peace and a political solution to the Kurdish issue. According to him, despite the passage of nearly two years since the beginning of this process and the holding of meetings and talks between PKK representatives and the Turkish government, Ankara has not yet taken steps to create the necessary trust to continue on this path.

He emphasized that the PKK is changing its method of struggle, but this change does not mean that the Kurdish issue has been resolved or the peace process has reached a final result.From Karaylan's perspective, ending the policy of denying and erasing the Kurdish identity by the Turkish government and abandoning the armed struggle by the Kurds are two inseparable parts of a political solution.

Referring to the call of the Turkish National Movement Party leader, Datul Bahçeli, to start a peace process, the People's Protection Forces Commander said that Abdullah Öcalan responded positively to this call and the PKK also took a new path to advance peace. However, Karaylan believes that contrary to expectations, the Turkish government has not yet taken the necessary steps to turn this political initiative into a sustainable process.

Referring to the establishment of a commission in the Turkish parliament to study the solution to the Kurdish issue, he said that the commission did a lot of work and prepared a report that, despite its shortcomings, provided a basis for the formulation of a framework law.According to Karaylan, the law was approved by 464 votes, but in his opinion, the content of the law is still insufficient, as it examines the issue mainly from the perspective of security and disarmament of the armed forces, ignoring its political dimensions.

Karaylan emphasized that disarmament of the PKK forces does not in itself mean solving the Kurdish issue, and the new law is not as comprehensive as is necessary to advance a political solution. He said that the decisions of the 12th PKK Congress, which he described as the final congress of the party, were based on the fact that Abdullah Öcalan should take responsibility for leading the disarmament and peace process and be able to work and communicate with others.

According to Karaylan, Öcalan is currently leading the peace process and the politicization of the struggle, but his legal status has not yet been determined.He demanded that the Turkish government legally recognize this position and that Öcalan be introduced as the main negotiating party, responsible for coordinating the peace process and guiding the process of transferring the struggle to the political arena.

Karaylan said that Öcalan should be able to communicate freely with society, talk to the media and meet with politicians and intellectuals. In his opinion, Öcalan's continued presence in prison and his limited ability to communicate with society is not compatible with the goal of advancing peace. He emphasized that Öcalan should be able to personally manage the process of disarmament and transferring the struggle to the political arena, because the PKK cannot simply order its forces to lay down their weapons and return to normal life while its leader is in prison.

He also demanded that the existence of the Kurds and their rights be recognized in law.Referring to the statements of Turkish officials about the brotherhood of Kurds and Turks, Karaylan said that these positions should go beyond the level of slogans and be reflected in the laws of the country. According to him, the official recognition of the Kurdish identity, their language and culture and the guarantee of their rights, along with determining the status of Öcalan, are two main issues that the Turkish government must decide on in order to advance the peace process.

Karaylan, explaining the PKK's actions to show its seriousness in this process, referred to the firing of weapons by a group of its forces in 2025. According to him, 30 PKK forces, responsible for Basa Hozat, one of the co-chairs of the leadership structure of the Kurdish communities, fired their weapons to show that the movement is ready to change the course of the struggle.