by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's protracted conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has entered a new and delicate phase, with Ankara cautiously welcoming the group's declared cessation of armed activities while emphasizing the need for verifiable actions, officials and analysts have said.

The shift followed the PKK's late October announcement that it had ceased all armed activity inside Türkiye and withdrawn its militants to northern Iraq.

While the move has been noted as a potential milestone, analysts warned it remains largely symbolic, with little evidence of genuine disarmament.

"The PKK's forces have long been concentrated outside Türkiye's borders. What we are witnessing is a rhetorical shift rather than real demobilization," said Ozgur Eksi, an Ankara-based defense and security analyst.

Eksi noted that the group has long operated from bases in Iraq's Qandil Mountains, making the announcement "a political gesture aimed at regaining relevance in the peace narrative."

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, said it was responding to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who in May urged the group's disarmament and self-dissolution.

A small group of PKK fighters symbolically burned their weapons in July, marking the start of the disarmament process.

Despite skepticism in some quarters, Ankara has struck a cautiously optimistic tone. Turkish Presidential Chief Advisor Mehmet Ucum said on Sunday that the process has entered a structured stage following recent contacts with Abdullah Ocalan on Imrali Island in northwestern Türkiye, where he has been held for 26 years.

"Türkiye has entered a new phase," Ucum said in a social media post, describing it as part of a state-led effort to strengthen democracy and social cohesion.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye is making progress toward its long-standing goal of eliminating terrorism within its borders, referring to the PKK's disarmament and withdrawal from Türkiye's territory.

Officials stressed that the process is not a negotiation with the PKK, but a broader attempt to address Türkiye's Kurdish question within constitutional limits.

Meanwhile, Ankara expects concrete steps from the group. During a visit to Iraq on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated Türkiye's demand that the PKK cease all armed activities across the region.

"Our expectation is that the terrorist organization PKK will end its terrorist activities in Iraq, as in Türkiye, and withdraw from the places it has occupied," Fidan told reporters in Baghdad. "Likewise, it is extremely important that it also withdraw from the areas it has occupied in Syria."

Ankara has long accused the PKK's Syrian affiliate, the People's Protection Units (YPG), of entrenching control along Türkiye's southern border with U.S. support.

Analysts said while the PKK speaks of peace, its affiliates' continued activity in northern Syria raises doubts about its sincerity.

"The PKK is sending mixed messages," said Serkan Demirtas, an Ankara-based political analyst and commentator.

"While it speaks of peace and withdrawal from Türkiye, its affiliated groups in Syria are entrenching themselves militarily. This creates the impression that the PKK is repositioning rather than demobilizing," he told Xinhua.

Local media, citing Turkish intelligence sources, reported that some 2,000 PKK militants have recently redeployed from northern Iraq to Syria, where YPG units remain active near the Turkish border.

"By shifting forces to Syria, the organization seeks to maintain military relevance and bargaining power while appearing to heed Ocalan's call for peace," Demirtas noted.

The PKK's announcement came amid reports that Ocalan had sent a new message urging the group to "prove its commitment to peace."

Analysts said invoking Ocalan's name allows the PKK leadership to assert discipline and reframe itself as a potential actor in peace talks.

"Ocalan still carries symbolic authority over the organization," Eksi noted.

While Ankara's rhetoric has softened compared to previous years, Turkish military operations against PKK positions in northern Iraq continue.

"Ankara is cautiously optimistic but determined to stay in control of the process," Demirtas said. "The symbolic withdrawal may have opened space for dialogue, but the real test will be whether that symbolism turns into verifiable steps." ■