The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been in armed conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, has announced it will disband and dissolve as part of a peace process with Ankara.
“The PKK’s 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure, end the armed struggle, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo [Abdullah Ocalan], and end the work carried out under the PKK name,” Firat news agency, affiliated with the group, said on Monday.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that the PKK's decision to disband and end its armed struggle against the Turkish state is of "historic importance" for permanent peace in the region.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Syrian and Jordanian counterparts, Mr Fidan said there would be practical steps to be taken for the disbandment of the PKK, and that Turkey would follow the process closely.
The group, classified as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the European Union, held its congress on Friday to heed the call of its jailed leader to lay down arms, disband and enter a peace initiative with the Turkish state.
Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), said the PKK's decision was “an important stage in terms of the goal of a 'terror-free Turkey'” – a phrase Turkish government officials have used to describe overtures to the PKK.
Ocalan’s call in February ordering the dissolution came after a months-long process initiated by an ally of Mr Erdogan – the ultranationalist politician Devlet Bahceli – for Abdullah Ocalan to be given greater freedom in exchange for the PKK’s dissolution.
The PKK said it believes Kurdish political parties will fulfil their responsibilities by developing Kurdish democracy to “ensure democratic Kurdish nationhood”.
Kurdish officials, including those in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, have framed the talks with Turkey as dialogue aimed at peace and ensuring rights for Turkey's ethnically Kurdish citizens, who make up around one-fifth of the population. Turkey has continued striking the group's positions in the Kurdistan region.
Mr Fidan on Friday said disarmament alone was not sufficient, while Mr Erdogan has continued to publicly call for the group's eradication.
The PKK had previously said it would not heed any calls to disarm unless Ocalan was released from jail and a meeting could take place in person.
Many questions remain about how the PKK disarmament process will work in practice. It remains unclear if members will be granted an amnesty, and if those in Iraq and Syria will be allowed to return to Turkey.
The fate of imprisoned Kurdish politicians and militants also remains unclear. Ocalan is serving a life sentence on the island of Imrali in the Sea of Marmara, south of Istanbul, where he has been imprisoned since he was captured in Kenya in February 1999.
Berkay Mandiraci, Turkey analyst for International Crisis Group, told The National that Ankara's response to the decision will determine what happens next. “The Kurdish side is looking for some kind of a formalisation of the process – a law passed in parliament, so there is more clarity on the process,” he said.
It is difficult to envisage the process being disrupted, he added. Both Ankara and the PKK seem willing to make it work, “which makes one hopeful”, he said.
Turkish politicians have indicated that the disarming and dissolution process will not happen overnight and have said that it must extend to all branches and offshoots of the PKK.
“This decision must be implemented in practice and realised in all its dimensions,” Mr Celik added. “The concrete and complete implementation of the 'dissolution' and 'surrender of arms' decision, which will close all branches and extensions of the PKK and its illegal structures, will be a turning point. This process will be meticulously monitored in the field by our state institutions.”
The PKK was founded by Ocalan in 1978 and has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for four decades, with about 40,000 killed on both sides. In recent years, the group's activity has been limited to the mountainous areas of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq and Syria, where PKK offshoots developed a presence.
The pro-Kurdish People's Equality and Democracy Party, also known as DEM Party, played a crucial role in mediating between the PKK and Ankara and has welcomed the congress.
On Sunday, the party announced the formation of the Democratic Unity Initiative, describing it as a “civil society platform” aimed at uniting Kurds across Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran to “build a democratic life”.
Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, said authorities are ready to offer support “for the success of this historic opportunity”.
He said in a statement posted on X: “Now is the time and all eyes are on this important step to be responded to with further positive and necessary steps by all parties concerned.”
Turkish government director of communications Fahrettin Altun said in a post on X that the process “is not a short-term and shallow process” that had emerged overnight. “Nor is it a process that will end very quickly from today to tomorrow,” he added, indicating that there is work still to be done to ensure that the PKK's pledge to disarm becomes reality.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Shalash%3Cbr%3ETranslator%3A%20Luke%20Leafgren%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20352%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20And%20Other%20Stories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWafeq%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJanuary%202019%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadim%20Alameddine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Esoftware%20as%20a%20service%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERaed%20Ventures%20and%20Wamda%2C%20among%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
