Türkiye - May 2025

On 12 May, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) announced that it would disband and disarm, and proposed a peace deal with Türkiye. The PKK’s disbandment puts an end more than 40 years of conflict with the Turkish state that saw over 40,000 deaths. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed the move as important for security. Designated a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the United States and the EU, the PKK initially sought an independent Kurdish state but later shifted to demands for autonomy and rights of Kurds within Türkiye. Previous peace efforts collapsed, most recently in 2015. 

UPDATE: In August, a 51-member parliamentary committee that includes MPs from most major parties was established in Türkiye to oversee legal and political reforms of the peace process.

Sources: Balkan Insight, Euronews, Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency