The disarmament ceremony marks the turning point of the transition from armed rebellion in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to democratic politics as part of a broader effort to draw a line in one of the region’s longest-running conflicts.
The ceremony on Friday took place in the morning at an undisclosed location in the mountains of Kurdistan, Iraq. This has been pitting most of the PKK fighters for the past decade near the northeastern city of Slaimaniya.
There were limited details about the ceremony, but PKK sources said about 30 fighters would destroy the weapons before returning to the mountains.
“As a gesture of goodwill, many PKK fighters who have participated in the battle with the Turkish army in recent years will destroy or burn their weapons at the ceremony,” the PKK commander said on July 1, on condition of anonymity.
However, tensions rose as two drones were shot overnight near Kurdish-Peshmerga base in Iraq, and two drones, one in Kirkuk, west, were shot overnight, according to officials who had not said they were behind the attack. No victims have been reported.
The beginning of the PKK disarmament began in October with the blessing of Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan and was a key step in months of indirect negotiations between Okaran and Ankara, promoted by the Pro Kurdish Dem Party of Torkie.
Among those expected to attend the ceremony were several Dem MPs and a few journalists who arrived in Sulaimaniya on Thursday.
It was not clear whether the ceremony would air live.
“I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and I encourage you to put this principle into practice,” Ocaran said in a video message released Wednesday, pledging that the disarmament process will be “improved quickly.”
Erdogan said peace efforts with the Kurds would gain momentum after the PKK began laying weapons.
“This process is a little faster when terrorist groups begin to implement their decision to lay weapons,” he said over the weekend.
“We hope that this auspicious process will be completed successfully as soon as possible, without any attempt to accident or sabotage,” he added Wednesday.
In recent months, the PKK has taken several historic measures, beginning with a ceasefire and culminating in the formal dissolution announced on May 12th.
The shift follows an appeal by Okaran, who spent the past 26 years in solitary confinement on February 27th at Imrari Prison Island near Istanbul.
rhm/