Erdoğan says PKK disarmament process on track despite delays

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday the process to dissolve the PKK is proceeding as expected, dismissing pessimistic scenarios amid reports of delays caused by the group's slow disarmament and regional developments.

Addressing the AK Party parliamentary group meeting in Ankara on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Erdoğan said the process for the dissolution of the PKK was "in its due course." "Those bringing about pessimistic scenarios about the process act upon their own doubts rather than the facts," he stated. "There is a positive atmosphere right now. There are things to do, and the process is continuing as it is expected to continue."

The PKK consented to lay down arms last year after jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan ordered disarmament. The group initially slowed disarmament over developments in Syria, where its Syria wing YPG countered Syrian army advances before agreeing to integration into the post-Assad Syrian army. The process hit a snag again after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, with rumors of U.S. intention to employ Kurdish groups against Iran slowing it down.

Türkiye paused work on legal regulations for the initiative due to the PKK's reluctance to fully disarm. Pro-PKK DEM Party deputy parliamentary group chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said at a news conference earlier in April that they couldn't accept delays in legislation "for various reasons." AK Party sources said Türkiye would introduce legislative steps only after a "confirmation mechanism" verified full disarmament by Turkish intelligence.

Erdoğan said terrorism cost Türkiye more than $2 trillion. He noted the initiative is now past its 18th month. "Despite all blatant and secret sabotage attempts, the initiative is now past its 18th month, and we have passed many critical thresholds," he said. "With the approval of the committee's reports, we arrived at another turning point in which we have to act sensibly."