The arms transfer by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), banned in Iraq, following its decision to disband, should be completed within several months. This was stated by the spokesman of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey, Omer Celik, quoted by Reuters, reports BTA.
He indicated that the disarmament process would be monitored by a verification mechanism, in which representatives of Turkish intelligence and the armed forces would participate.
„The disarmament process in Iraq should be completed within three to five months. "If this deadline is exceeded, the organization will become vulnerable to provocations," Celik stressed.
The PKK, which has waged an armed struggle against the Turkish state for more than four decades, announced in May that it was disbanding and ending its military operations.
From tomorrow, fighters from the group will begin handing over their weapons in the city of Sulaymaniyah, in northern Iraq, as part of the peace process with Ankara.
More than 40,000 people have died since the armed conflict began in 1984, initially aimed at creating an independent Kurdish state. The conflict has had a serious economic impact and fueled deep social tensions in the country.