The ceremony in which a group of 30 PKK members destroyed their weapons as part of the process initiated by Abdullah Öcalan was watched with interest around the world. Hundreds of people, including representatives of political parties, NGOs, and journalists, attended the ceremony in the countryside of Sulaymaniyah province in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).

Among them, Nehir Sevim, a member of the Labourist Movement Party delegation, stated that laying down arms was a step toward a new process.

Sevim continued: “The PKK’s laying down of arms, although symbolic, is actually an important step in the process we have been following. As the Labourist Movement Party, our position from the outset has been in favor of supporting the policies decided and implemented by the representatives of the Kurdish people. Today, we have witnessed their symbolic laying down of arms. We believe that another step has been taken toward the peoples’ goal of peace and democracy. I think that those who have been following the process, including friendly organizations, journalists, and everyone else, see this as the first steps toward a new era in which democracy, peace, and democratic politics will come to the fore. We were excited.”