Senior PKK Commander Declares Turkey Peace Process 'Frozen'

A senior PKK militant commander accused the Turkish government of stalling peace talks initiated following Abdullah Öcalan's February 2025 call for the PKK to disarm and dissolve. The PKK leadership council voted for disbandment in May 2025, but the process has since stalled. The commander stated that all peace steps initiated by Öcalan have been implemented by the PKK side, and the organization is now awaiting Turkish state action on promised political and legal reforms — including the release of Öcalan from İmralı Island prison and formal constitutional recognition of Kurdish political rights. The Turkish government countered that the PKK's disarmament must be fully and verifiably completed before broader legal and political reforms are enacted. The dispute reflects a fundamental sequencing disagreement that has effectively frozen the process.