Turkey and Iraq welcomed the PKK's symbolic disarmament as a historic step toward peace. While Erdogan praised the move, Baghdad highlighted its potential for regional stability. The challenge now is transforming this gesture into lasting reconciliation.

Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party on Friday hailed a "new era" following a historic disarmament ceremony at which PKK militants began destroying their weapons after ending decades of armed struggle.

Kurdish militants want to return to Turkey and enter mainstream politics, one of the PKK's joint leaders told AFP on Friday after the group's fighters began destroying their arms at

The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party has renewed his call for fighters to disarm. In a video message on Wednesday, Abdullah Ocalan emphasized the importance of abandoning armed conflict and embracing peace through politics.