Has the conflict between Türkiye and the PKK ended?

A report from the JINSA research institute says that the withdrawal of PKK forces from Turkey has brought Ankara's peace process with this group to an unprecedented point. However, the implementation of the new law is still suspended and the question of democracy in Türkiye remains unanswered.

More than a year has passed since the beginning of the peace process between Türkiye and the PKK, and during this time, according to the researchers, there has been no armed conflict between the two sides. With the withdrawal of PKK forces from Turkey and the evacuation of the group's shelters in northern Iraq, it seems that this process has passed the obstacles that seemed insurmountable before. But the main question is whether these developments will lead to the real end of the conflict, or whether knots such as the implementation of the peace law and the issue of democracy continue to make the way difficult.

According to Kurdpress, according to Jiran Ojan, a researcher of Kurdish affairs at JINSA Institute, the peace process between Turkey and PKK, which started in October 2024, has continued without armed conflict until today. Turkish intelligence sources announced on October 8 that the PKK has withdrawn all its forces from Turkish territory and four shelters of this group in northern Iraq have been evacuated. Murad Qaraylan, one of the senior leaders of the PKK, also said that the group's secret units in Istanbul and other cities have been ordered to leave.

Ojan sees Ankara's main motivation more than anything else in the developments in the region. According to his writing, the Turkish authorities see the wars and crises in Gaza, Syria and Iran as a threat to national security and consider peace with the Kurds as a way to strengthen the internal front and prevent exploitation by rivals such as Israel. He adds that this process has had regional effects, including the reduction of tension between the Kurdish forces and the Damascus government in Syria and the transfer of one of the Turkish bases in the Kurdistan Region to Baghdad.

But according to the author, not everything is as expected. The law passed by the Turkish parliament in August allows the return of PKK members without prosecution, but its implementation depends on the National Security Council's approval of complete disarmament, and to date no members have returned. PKK leaders say disarmament and law enforcement must go together. They also criticize the exclusion of leaders and hundreds of senior members from the law.

Ocan, who used to be the spokesperson of Türkiye's main pro-Kurdish party, reminds us that peace does not automatically bring democracy. He points to the monitoring of opposition media in Türkiye and writes that these behaviors have reduced the confidence of Kurdish leaders in the commitment of the government. However, it concludes that both sides consider it unlikely to return to war, and a more democratic Turkey is unthinkable without peace.