Bahçeli calls for PKK dissolution congress in Malazgirt, symbolic reference to Turkish-Kurdish cooperation

ANKARA — Since the leader of the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) Devlet Bahçeli invited imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan to address Turkish parliament in October 2024 and call for the dissolution of the PKK, the stage has been set for renewed peace talks. Acting as an intermediary for negotiation is the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, DEM Party), of which the Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF) is a co-founder.

In late February, Öcalan issued a major statement, calling on his PKK to hold a party congress and dissolve itself on conditions that the Turkish state recognize the peoples within its own borders and become a true democracy, with all that entails. Following the statement, the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Bahçeli, a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, urged the PKK to hold its congress in the DEM Party-governed city of Malazgirt, located in Muş Province, on 4 May. He pressed the group to decide on disbanding and surrendering its weapons, warning that delays could lead to “unexpected complications, unforeseen conspiracies, and complex provocations.”

Bahçeli’s call came after Cemil Bayık, Co-Chair of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), stated that ongoing Turkish military operations were preventing the PKK from convening a congress.

Why Malazgirt?

Malazgirt holds a deep historical significance for Turkey. It was the site of the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, where the Seljuk Turks, led by Sultan Alparslan, defeated the Byzantine Empire. This victory marked the beginning of Turkish dominance in Anatolia. The Seljuks, supported by Kurdish Marwanid forces, subsequently defeated regional Armenian and Georgian kingdoms, paving the way for Ottoman rule across Anatolia by 1453, following the conquest of Constantinople.

Bahçeli’s choice of Malazgirt underscores the symbolic importance of unity and historical legacy in his appeal for the resolution of Turkey’s long-standing Kurdish conflict.

PKK Leadership Responds to Lack of Government Action

Member of the PKK Executive Committee Duran Kalkan openly criticized the Turkish government for failing to respond to Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27th appeal to end the decades-long conflict. Following Öcalan’s call, PKK leaders had expressed their willingness to fulfill its requirements to advance the process, but they emphasized that the Turkish government must also take the necessary steps.

Kalkan underscored that only Öcalan holds the authority to convene a PKK congress to discuss disarmament or disbandment. “No one else has that authority,” he asserted, highlighting the unwavering loyalty of PKK fighters to Öcalan’s leadership. He argued that demands for the PKK to lay down arms are meaningless without legal and constitutional guarantees.

“They want the PKK to disappear, but without offering a credible way to meet Kurdish aspirations or release Öcalan.”

Dispute Over SDF Disarming

Bahçeli previously stated that the People’s Protection Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel, YPG) are not exempt from Abdullah Öcalan’s call to dissolve.

“Claims that the YPG and similar terrorist formations are exempt from this call, and the dissemination of such baseless views by dissenters, contradict the essence of organizational and founding leadership,” Bahçeli remarked. He further emphasized, “The February 27th İmralı statement explicitly links the PKK terrorist organization with all its affiliates and factions.”

Turkey asserts that members of the PKK are embedded within the YPG, which forms the core of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

General Commander SDF welcomed Öcalan’s appeal to end Turkey’s decades-long conflict and initiate a peaceful political process. However, he clarified that Öcalan’s call is specifically directed at the PKK and does not pertain to the SDF.