The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Friday that it had "successfully" concluded its 12th congress, where it evaluated a historic call by imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan to disband and transition its struggle from armed conflict to political means.

According to a statement from the PKK’s congress committee, the meeting took place from May 5 to 7 in the group’s "Media Defense Areas," believed to be located in the Kurdistan Region near the borders of Turkey and Iran. The congress was held in two separate locations simultaneously, with delegates representing all branches of the organization.

The discussions centered on Öcalan’s late February letter, in which he declared that the PKK had "fulfilled its purpose" and urged the group to disarm and dissolve, shifting the Kurdish rights struggle to the political arena. During the congress, Öcalan’s proposals were reviewed, and the PKK’s Central Committee presented a report for debate.

The group stated that decisions regarding its disarmament and dissolution had been made, with the final results to be announced "very soon" after consolidating the outcomes from both meeting locations. The PKK also reiterated its demand for Öcalan’s release, as the 66-year-old leader remains imprisoned in Turkey’s İmralı Island facility since 1999.

The announcement came shortly after Ayşegül Doğan, spokesperson for Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party)—which has mediated peace talks—suggested that the critical PKK congress could convene "at any moment."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed optimism on Thursday, stating that all obstacles had been "overcome" and that the PKK would disarm and disband "either today or tomorrow."

The PKK, founded in 1978, initially sought an independent Kurdish state but later shifted its demands to greater political and cultural rights within Turkey. Designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, the group has been engaged in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties.

The outcome of the congress could mark a turning point in the conflict, potentially paving the way for a political resolution to one of the Middle East’s longest-running insurgencies.