Turkey-Kurdish Peace Process Overview

12.09.2025
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Turkey-Kurdish Peace Process Overview

This page provides a clear, chronological overview of key events, statements, and negotiations in the Kurdish–Turkish peace process.

Introduction

Since October 2024, the Turkish government and Kurdish representatives, led by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), have engaged in talks to address decades of conflict. These discussions differ from past efforts due to their limited transparency and the early decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm and dissolve without clear government commitments in return. This overview provides a clear, neutral summary of the process for journalists, researchers, and others interested in peacebuilding in the Middle East.

Note: “Kurdish representatives” refers to elected officials, like the DEM Party, and civilian advocates working through democratic channels. This term reflects the shift away from armed groups like the PKK, which dissolved in May 2025. Specific terms from original sources are used when relevant.

Key Stages

The process has unfolded in four main stages:

  • Stage 1 (April–September 2024): Secret talks reportedly began between the Turkish government, Abdullah Öcalan, and the PKK.

  • Stage 2 (October 2024 – February 2025): Public discussions started, with meetings involving the DEM Party, Öcalan, and the government, leading to a call for PKK disarmament.

  • Stage 3 (February–May 2025): Öcalan issued the “Call for Peace and Democratic Society,” urging the PKK to disarm and dissolve. Talks continued.

  • Stage 4 (May 2025 – Present): The PKK announced its dissolution and end to armed activities. Disarmament efforts advanced, and a parliamentary commission was formed in August 2025 to guide legal and political reforms.

Major Developments

The process focuses on two key goals outlined in Öcalan’s February 27, 2025, “Call for Peace and Democratic Society”: ending the PKK’s armed struggle and building a democratic framework.

PKK Disarmament and Dissolution

Öcalan urged the PKK to “integrate with society voluntarily” and “lay down their arms.” By May 2025, the PKK announced its dissolution, followed by a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq in July 2025, where 30 members burned weapons. In August 2025, the DEM Party briefed President Erdoğan on ongoing disarmament efforts, signaling continued progress.

Building a Democratic Framework

Öcalan emphasized that disarmament requires “democratic politics and a legal framework,” as conveyed by DEM Party member Sırrı Süreyya Önder. Key areas include:

  • Parliamentary Commission: In January 2025, major parties agreed the Turkish Grand National Assembly should lead the process. On May 18, 2025, Devlet Bahçeli proposed a 100-member commission, formed on August 1, 2025, with members from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Republican People’s Party (CHP), DEM Party, and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The commission has held weekly meetings, drafting laws for disarmament oversight and democratic reforms. In September 2025, it consulted civil society in Diyarbakir and proposed amnesty frameworks for former PKK members, though the IYI Party opted out, citing concerns over “separatism.”

  • Constitutional Changes: Turkey’s constitution centralizes power and can restrict Kurdish identity. In February 2025, the DEM Party called for “guarantees of Kurdish democratic and political rights” through an inclusive process. In August 2025, the commission began discussing amendments to recognize minority rights, such as Kurdish language education. President Erdoğan, on September 8, 2025, expressed cautious support for “democratic reforms” while emphasizing national unity.

  • Political Prisoners: Thousands, mostly Kurds, including elected officials, remain imprisoned on charges tied to Kurdish issues, like alleged PKK links. In August 2025, the commission discussed reviewing these cases, with the DEM Party advocating for releases under potential amnesty laws. The CHP’s Murat Emir raised European Court of Human Rights rulings in parliament, but no major releases have occurred by September 2025, and new arrests have slowed since July.

  • Trustee Appointments: The government’s practice of replacing elected mayors in DEM-won municipalities with trustees disenfranchises millions of voters from the 2024 elections. In August 2025, the commission proposed reviewing this system, with the DEM Party pushing for the return of municipalities to elected leaders. Two new trustee appointments in Van and Mardin in July 2025 affected over 300,000 voters, and no municipalities have been returned as of September 2025.

Sources

This overview is based on public information from:

  • Official websites and social media of leaders, parties, and institutions.

  • Turkish state media.

  • Kurdish-affiliated media.

  • Independent Turkish and Kurdish news.

Published by the Centre for Kurdish Progress, a non-profit dedicated to fostering peace and dialogue in the Middle East. Last updated: September 12, 2025.