Erdogan urges the Kurdistan Workers' Party to dissolve itself.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to dissolve itself today, Sunday, following a month after its imprisoned founder Abdullah Ocalan called on the party to lay down its arms. Erdogan stated on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr: "Our patience and time are not limitless," adding, "We expect the party to dissolve itself without further delay and to completely lay down its weapons." Ocalan, imprisoned on an island off Istanbul since 1999, had earlier called on his party members on February 27 to lay down their arms after decades of violent conflict with the Turkish state. However, the PKK has set conditions, including the release of Ocalan, which Ankara has so far rejected, including the demand for a unilateral ceasefire declared by the group. It is worth mentioning that the PKK, classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, has been waging armed rebellion against Turkey since the early 1980s, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands in the conflict.