Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“In the Middle East, reconciliation between warring factions, either ethnic or religious, often comes hard. In Turkey, however, small steps in recent weeks have pointed to an end of a four-decade war. They offer a glimpse into a transition to peace that might be able to balance justice and mercy. On Friday, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, designated widely as a terrorist group and known as PKK, began to get rid of its weapons and to disband. The public ceremony came more than four months after the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, called for an end to the goal of an independent state for Kurds – who make up 18% to 20% of Turkey’s population – and instead urged the seeking of greater Kurdish rights through democratic means. On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed the start of what may be a long peace process. ” (07/14/25)