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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Leaders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) welcomed the symbolic disarmament of a group of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters in Sulaimani on Friday.

“The Kurdistan Workers' Party disarmament in Sulaymaniyah province is a historic step towards a new phase in North Kurdistan and Turkey through dialogue and peace,” PUK leader Bafel Talabani said in a post on X. 

The PUK “firmly believes that bloodshed will only deepen the problems, and now is the time to lay down arms and go to the negotiating table to achieve the legitimate rights of all parties,” he added. 

Thirty PKK fighters participated in a ceremonial disarmament widely seen as a gesture of goodwill during peace negotiations with Ankara to end four decades of conflict.

“We hope this step marks the beginning of a new phase in normalizing relations between the parties and directly strengthens the stability of the Kurdistan Region,” said Talabani.

The Kurdistan Region, where the PKK has its headquarters, has been the center of the conflict between the armed Kurdish group and the Turkish state for the past several years. Residents of hundreds of villages have been forced to flee their homes because of the violence.

Qubad Talabani, a senior PUK member and deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Region, hailed the fact that the disarmament took place in Sulaimani province, a stronghold of the PUK.

“Today, history was made in Sulaimani. The PKK, from a position of strength, as part of a major peace initiative, destroyed their arms. Sulaimani, as a city known for building bridges and resolving conflict through dialogue, embodied this role today. With deep hope for peace and democracy, we continue to support this process,” he said in a post on Facebook. 

Founded in 1978, the PKK initially sought an independent Kurdish state but has since shifted its focus toward securing greater cultural and political rights for Kurds in Turkey. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.

In a video message released Wednesday, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called for the formation of a parliamentary commission to guide the peace process.