The symbolic fighters disarmament ceremony will proceed as planned for the upcoming Friday. However, due to security concerns, journalists will not be able to directly participate in the ceremony taking place in Kurdistan Region. The event will be broadcast via screens near the venue, with video recordings distributed to media outlets afterward. Parliament member Parlak announced that PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan will deliver a video message regarding the party’s first disarmament process. Changes may be made according to circumstances.
Parliamentary Announcement on Öcalan’s Video Message
Wazir Parlak, a parliament member from the ruling party, announced on Channel 8 regarding the Qandil region that Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, will deliver a video message about his party’s first disarmament process.
Parlak indicated that after the message is shown at the disarmament ceremony, it will subsequently be given to media outlets and broadcast.
The ruling party parliament member describes the PKK disarmament ceremony as “historic” for the process and says that after this step, a committee is expected to be formed in parliament, and after that, parliament will begin taking steps.
Response to Recent Violence and Peace Process Concerns
While Parlak does not blame any side for the incident involving the killing of 12 Turkish soldiers in the Kurdistan Region, he expressed his sadness and said that whenever the peace process has begun, some sides have wanted to bring failure to the process, including some of those within the armed forces. Therefore, he said a thorough investigation of the incident is necessary.
Parlak discussed the visits of Ibrahim Kalin, head of MIT (National Intelligence Organization), to the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, saying the efforts are to advance the process, and the visits are for that reason. The process is connected to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, and everyone’s interests are involved. Therefore, Turkey is in contact with the PUK and KDP and related parties.
Öcalan’s Current Conditions and International Interest
The ruling party parliament member also said regarding Öcalan’s situation that Öcalan’s condition has changed, but it is still not according to their demands. Several sides and personalities at domestic and international levels want to see Öcalan, but so far they have not been given permission.
Parlak called on the government to allow Öcalan to be visited and to improve his conditions in prison in order to advance the process and support it actively.
Media Access Restrictions Due to Security Concerns
The Qandil Media Office announced that due to security reasons, journalists cannot directly participate in the ceremony that the fighters are conducting in southern Kurdistan.
“Due to changes in the security situation, it became necessary to change the details related to the ceremony expected to take place in Kurdistan region in a short time.
The ceremony will proceed as planned, but it will not be broadcast live and journalists cannot directly participate in the ceremony. We are very sorry and we hope you understand that the reasons for this change are necessary and justified.
A screen will be set up near the venue of the ceremony, and video recordings of the ceremony will be broadcast through that screen. This is the only way we can convey information to you. We invite you there. Some of you may decide not to attend the ceremony due to this change; we completely understand this decision and it is respectable; we apologize for any concerns.”
