Öcalan calls for progress in the peace process

The peace process between Turkey and the terrorist-labeled PKK began this spring, when the PKK said it would end its armed struggle and instead seek peace through democratic means.

With the announcement, an armed conflict that lasted over four decades, which had claimed more than 50,000 lives, came to an end.

Now Öcalan writes in a message from prison that "in order to move on to a positive phase, it is important that everyone acts with sensitivity, seriousness and a sense of responsibility."

He continues that "the basis for this must be to integrate the Kurdish issue in all its dimensions into the country's legal framework and initiate a solid transition process."

In October, the PKK announced that it was withdrawing its combat units from Turkey to northern Iraq, which meant that the first phase of the peace process was then completed.