The symbolic handover of weapons by Kurdish fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan is being hailed as a potentially significant development in the long-standing conflict between Turkey and the Kurdish movement. Jan van Aken, leader of the Left party (Die Linke), witnessed the event firsthand in Sulaimaniyya on Friday, where thirty Kurdish combatants publicly destroyed their arms.
Van Aken characterized the action as offering “new hope for peace” and underscored the seriousness of the Kurdish movement’s commitment to a peace process following 47 years of conflict. He further argued for a re-evaluation of the PKK’s ban in Germany, stating it is “now more than ever” necessary. He called on the German government to actively facilitate peace efforts in both Turkey and the Kurdish regions, noting the substantial populations of Turkish and Kurdish descent residing in Germany, making their involvement crucial.
The Green party also welcomed the move, with foreign policy spokesperson Deborah Düring and human rights policy spokesperson Max Lucks describing the disarmament as “historic”. They emphasized the potential for a new era of peaceful coexistence and urged the Turkish government to actively support a transparent and civil peace process guided by a parliamentary commission.
The Greens specifically called on the German government to exert influence on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, citing ongoing detentions and repression against democratic opposition figures as contradictory to a peaceful Turkey. They demanded the release of Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu and former HDP co-chair, Selahattin Demirtaş, among others. Green party representatives urged Foreign Minister Robert Habeck to unequivocally convey to his Turkish counterpart that this dual strategy of repressing democratic opposition is unsustainable.