PKK announces ceasefire, urges Turkey to release Ocalan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced that it will observe a ceasefire in its long-running conflict with the Turkish government. This decision comes just days after Abdullah Ocalan, the group's imprisoned leader, urged the militants to put down their weapons.

According to a statement cited by a media outlet close to the PKK, the group expressed hope that the Turkish government would release Ocalan so he could oversee the disarmament process, DW reports.

The PKK, labeled a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the U.S., has waged an armed struggle since the 1980s, seeking either an independent Kurdish state or autonomy in southeastern Turkey. However, recent remarks from the group suggest a shift away from demanding full independence.

"In order to pave the way for the implementation of leader Apo's call for peace and democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective from today," the statement quoted by the ANF news agency said, referring to Ocalan.

"We agree with the content of the call as it is and we say that we will follow and implement it," the statement said.