Erdoğan assures 'good news' after PKK congress

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye is on the brink of "good news" regarding its long-running efforts to eliminate PKK, following what the terror group called “historic decisions” made at its latest congress.

“We are determined to rid our country of the scourge of terrorism, which has caused deep pain to our citizens from all walks of life for 40 years and put dynamite in our brotherhood as a nation,” Erdoğan said on May 10 at a Mother’s Day event in Istanbul.

His remarks come after PKK held a congress from May 5 to 7 in response to a call by its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan for the terror group to lay down arms.

Decisions of "historic importance" were taken during the gathering and details would be made public "very soon," the organization was quoted as saying in a written statement circulated by outlets on May 9.

"You can and will receive good news at any moment," Erdoğan said. "We are following the work without leaving the slightest gap in a manner befitting the seriousness of the state."

He said intelligence and security units were handling the process with utmost sensitivity.

"I believe we will reach the terror-free Türkiye goal with the support of our beloved nation and especially the sincere prayers of all mothers. We will not fall for the games of those who want to drown our region in blood and chaos," he stated.

"We will respond to those who want to divide us by tightening our ranks. With 86 million hearts to hearts, we will hopefully strengthen our unity and solidarity even more."

Meanwhile, Ahmet Türk, the former mayor of Mardin who has emerged as a key figure in renewed dialogue with Öcalan, revealed during a TV appearance on May 9 that Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli had contacted him following PKK’s statement.

"He wished this process to be beneficial. He congratulated us," Türk said on private broadcaster TV100. "I also congratulate Mr. Devlet Bahçeli and have great respect for his efforts."

The congress marks the latest in a string of political moves since increased contact with Öcalan began in late 2024.

Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) lawmaker Ömer Öcalan was allowed to visit his uncle on the İmralı prison island off Istanbul in last October — the first such visit in nearly four years.

The visit followed a call by Bahçeli for Öcalan to address the parliament, conditional on the PKK’s dissolution.

Subsequent visits by senior DEM Party figures Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan to the prison took place since then. A PKK ceasefire was announced on March 1 in line with Öcalan’s call.

Efforts to advance the process included a key meeting between the İmralı delegation and Erdoğan on April 10. However, momentum appeared to stall following Önder’s death on May 3 after suffering a heart attack.

However, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik said on May 5 the government expected PKK's disarmament and dissolution process to become “concrete within days.”

PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.