Erdogan signals legal push to fast-track PKK dissolution, says parliament to take up framework

ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party on Wednesday that a legal framework is being drawn up to hasten the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), vowing to bring the measure to parliament “without delay.”

Speaking in the capital Ankara, Erdogan offered no specifics on what the proposed legal steps would entail, but struck a determined tone, saying Ankara was committed to seeing the peace process with the PKK through and ending an insurgency that has dragged on for more than four decades.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has been waging an armed campaign against the Turkish state since 1984, a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Previous attempts at a negotiated settlement — most notably a 2013 cease-fire that collapsed two years later — have failed to produce a lasting resolution.

Erdogan’s latest remarks come at a time when regional dynamics, including shifts in Ankara’s relations with neighboring Iraq and Syria, have reshaped the calculus around the Kurdish issue. Analysts say any credible legal initiative would need to address disarmament, reintegration, and political participation — areas that have proven highly contentious in the past.

While the president’s statement signals renewed political will, observers caution that substantial hurdles remain, both within Turkey’s political landscape and across the border where PKK-linked groups hold sway. No timeline for the legislative proposal has been announced.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Additional context provided; Editing by Daren Butler)