Abdullah Ocalan: The 30-Year War with Turkey Can End in Six Months

Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the "Kurdistan Workers' Party" (PKK), has stated that if the Turkish government is willing, he can facilitate the resolution of the "Kurdish issue" in Turkey within six months, thereby ending over three decades of war and conflict. Ocalan's message was announced today at a press conference in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, delivered by his brother, Muhammad Ocalan. The Turkish government had allowed Muhammad Ocalan to visit his imprisoned brother on the occasion of "Eid al-Adha" after more than a year of denying the family visits. Muhammad Ocalan quoted the imprisoned PKK leader as saying, "The Kurdish issue is not a matter of recent decades. This issue has existed for more than 150 years. If the government is ready, it should send its representatives. We also have a project to solve this issue and we can resolve it in six months." The Turkish government considers the PKK a terrorist organization, and Abdullah Ocalan was arrested in Kenya 17 years ago and transferred to Turkey. Initially sentenced to death, his punishment was later commuted to life imprisonment. Over the past three decades of conflict between the PKK and Turkish security forces, more than 40,000 people have been killed. In his recent meeting, Abdullah Ocalan also stated that the current war between the Turkish army and the PKK is "a blind war," emphasizing that "this problem will not be solved unilaterally... This war has been ongoing for thirty to forty years. A war that could continue for another eighty years. If the government is willing, we can end the bloodshed." Clashes between the PKK and the Turkish army have intensified in the past year, following the failure of the so-called "peace process." Abdullah Ocalan had previously called for the "silencing of weapons" in a written message during Nowruz in 2013, which was read by "Sari Suraya Onder," a member of the Turkish parliament in Diyarbakir. In this context, the Turkish government and the PKK agreed on a ceasefire in 2013, and "peace negotiations" took place between government representatives and Abdullah Ocalan. However, these negotiations reached a deadlock in the past two years, leading to renewed conflict. Both sides accuse each other of sabotaging and undermining the peace process. After the failure of the peace process, PKK-affiliated forces have fortified positions in cities and targeted Turkish government positions, while also claiming responsibility for several bombings against security forces. Meanwhile, the Turkish government has targeted positions resembling Kurdish militants with heavy weaponry. In urban clashes in areas such as "Sur" and "Nusaybin," in addition to the destruction of residential areas, dozens of civilians, mostly Kurds, have lost their lives. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced that his government has launched "the largest operation in history" against Kurdish militants in southeastern Turkey. Additionally, 24 Kurdish mayors affiliated with the "Peoples' Democratic Party" have been dismissed on charges of connections to the PKK, and individuals aligned with the government have been appointed in their place. The Turkish government has also announced the suspension of over 11,000 teachers suspected of ties to the PKK. Today, during a car bomb explosion in the city of Van, more than 50 people were injured. The Turkish government has blamed the PKK for this incident, although the party has not yet claimed responsibility.