Erdogan hails “new era” in Turkey as PKK disarms

Following the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) decision to disarm after four decades of armed conflict, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a “new era” for his country, on July 12, according to Al Jazeera.

In an address to his party, Justice and Development (AKP), Erdogan said that the “scourge of terrorism has entered the process of ending”. He added, “Today is a new day; a new page has opened in history. Today, the doors of a great, powerful Turkiye have been flung wide open.”

The PKK has been locked in an armed struggle with the Turkish state since 1984, and decided to disband in May following a call from the group’s long-imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.

Al Jazeera/ Maghrebi