Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to accelerate its disarmament process, saying the group has yet to take concrete steps more than a year after announcing its dissolution and ending its armed struggle.

Speaking to Turkish broadcaster NTV on Saturday, Fidan said the process should move faster, noting that the PKK announced its dissolution in May 2025 and that more than a year has since passed without tangible progress on laying down its weapons.

“One would wish for everything to move faster,” Fidan said, stressing that statements of intent must be followed by concrete action.
Fidan said mechanisms must now be established for the next stage of the process and emphasized that, although timing is important, the process must be handled carefully.

“What is important in practice is for the threat to eliminate itself and cease to be a threat,” he said, adding that developments would need to be closely monitored.

Fidan’s comments come shortly after the Turkish parliament approved legislation establishing a legal framework for the PKK’s disarmament and the reintegration of some of its members.

The Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration, approved on August 10 by a vote of 468 in favor, 88 against and six abstentions, allows for certain investigations, prosecutions and prison sentences linked to the PKK to be suspended after Turkish authorities verify that the organization and its affiliated structures have ended their activities and surrendered their weapons.

Under the legislation, Turkey’s security institutions must first verify the PKK’s dissolution and full disarmament. The process would then require confirmation by the National Security Council, followed by publication of the decision in the Official Gazette.

The PKK has criticized the legislation, arguing that it contains “serious errors and flaws” and does not adequately address the broader Kurdish issue.

The group has also objected to the absence of provisions defining the role and future status of its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, and has called for guarantees that its members would be able to participate in democratic politics after giving up their weapons.

Senior PKK figure Mustafa Karasu described the legislation as a “beginning” but said it contained significant shortcomings and should be followed by further democratic and political reforms.

Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on Imrali Island since 1999, called on the PKK in February 2025 to lay down its arms and dissolve. The group announced its dissolution and the end of its armed struggle in May 2025.

The latest developments leave the process focused on the implementation of the disarmament framework, with Turkey emphasizing verification and security requirements while the PKK continues to call for broader political and democratic measures.