Why has the PKK ended its armed struggle? | Inside Story
Why has the PKK ended its armed struggle?
Members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party lay down their arms after decades of war with Turkiye.
It’s one of the longest-running conflicts in the Middle East – and it’s about to come to an end.
Members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have started laying down their arms at a ceremony in northern Iraq.
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It comes two months after the group said it would end its armed struggle against Turkiye and shift to democratic politics.
Reaction has been mixed: Some Kurds think it could pave the way to peace. Others argue it’s a concession with no gains.
So how will this process play out in Turkiye and in the wider region?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Galip Dalay – nonresident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs
David L Phillips – director of the Program on Peace-building and Human Rights at Columbia University
Mohammed Salih – nonresident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who specialises in Kurdish affairs