The process that began after Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ entered a new phase with the PKK's convening of the 12th Congress, where decisions to disband and disarm were made. The PKK announced the decisions of the congress it held on May 5-7 to the public today. According to the PKK 12th Congress Board, the Congress resolved to dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the armed struggle, with the implementation process to be managed and led by Abdullah Öcalan. All activities conducted under the PKK name have therefore been concluded.

Following the PKK's announcement of its dissolution, public debate began on how the process would proceed and what would happen next. EMEP (Labour Party) Istanbul Deputy İskender Bayhan spoke to ANF about the PKK's announcement.

Bayhan said, “The PKK's decision to lay down its arms and dissolve itself will undoubtedly be a turning point of historic importance in Turkey, both with regard to the resolution of the Kurdish question and the struggle of the working class and laborers for democratic rights and socialism. We have been fighting for years, along with our party, the revolutionary democratic forces of this country, intellectuals, scientists, academics, and all other forces, for the resolution of the Kurdish question through non-violent, peaceful means, and we have been voicing this demand. The PKK's decision is also of great importance in this regard.”

Stating that the state's stance following the PKK's decision to disband is important, Bayhan warned that the greatest danger would be the palace regime attempting to use the process for its own interests.

“Now, we will see the state's attitude toward this decision in practice. This is also an indication of the need to more strongly defend the economic and political demands of the exploited and oppressed peoples of this country. It is also an indication of the need to intensify the struggle. Perhaps the greatest danger facing this country regarding the PKK's decision to disband and disarm is the attempt by the People's Alliance, especially the palace regime, to use this as a basis for its reactionary fascist ambitions, its desire to establish a reactionary fascist regime, state, and social order. We have seen this truth, especially in recent days. The process has reached such a point that even the AKP's scribes, who until a few weeks ago were promoting Devlet Bahçeli as the architect of the process, have begun to write articles suggesting that Erdoğan is the architect of the process and Bahçeli is following behind him.”

Stating that the people must be vigilant against the AKP's attempts to gain political benefit from the process, Bayhan stressed that it is now necessary to unite in the struggle for socialism and achieve further gains. The EMEP MP concluded: “We see attempts to gain political advantage, strengthen the palace regime and palace power, and empower the AKP in response to questions such as “Who is the primary architect of this process?” When this is the case, our entire people, especially the workers and laborers, must remain vigilant. The PKK laid down the arms and dissolved itself on its own front. However, there is still an urgent need to unite for a genuine people's sovereignty, people's democracy, and socialism, to achieve more concrete gains, and to wage a stronger struggle, starting with the cessation of operations and the acceptance of the democratic demands of the Kurdish people.”