The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has declared an immediate ceasefire with Turkey, following a call from its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan to lay down arms. 

In a statement, the PKK said it fully supports Ocalan’s call and will no longer engage in armed action unless attacked. The group also urged the Turkish government to release Öcalan so he could lead the disarmament process.

“In order to pave the way for the implementation of leader Apo’s [Öcalan] call for peace and democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective from today,” the PKK executive committee said in the statement quoted by pro-PKK Firat News Agency (ANF). 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed PKK’s ceasefire declaration but also warned that Turkey would continue military operations if needed. 

“We will always keep our iron fist ready in case the hand we extend is left in the air or bitten,” he said.

Turkey’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz also welcomed the ceasefire, saying the country had entered “a new phase toward a terror-free Turkey.” 

The ceasefire comes amid speculation that Erdoğan may be seeking Kurdish political support ahead of possible constitutional changes to allow him to run for another term in 2028. 

The PKK, recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in an armed insurgency since 1984, seeking to establish a homeland for Kurds, who make up approximately 20 percent of Turkey’s 85 million people.

Öcalan, 75, has been imprisoned since 1999 after being convicted of treason. Despite his imprisonment, he still holds considerable influence over the PKK, which he founded in 1978.