ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday hailed the passing of a law by parliament that aims to reintegrate Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members into society, calling it an “important step” for the country’s future.

Earlier this month, the Turkish parliament voted to adopt a historic bill that outlines the legal framework for the peace process with the PKK, marking a substantial step forward in ending the decades-long conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Erdogan hailed the move as a historic step that he hopes “will bring about positive outcomes,” citing the 467 parliamentarians that voted in favor of the legislation as a “historic example of consensus.”

“We will continue to manage this process, which we are conducting with an approach that takes into account the sensitivities of our entire nation,” he wrote on X.

Long-awaited by Kurdish political forces, the adopted bill marks the largest legislative step ever taken by the Turkish state toward ending the conflict, coming after PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan in 2025 issued a historic call for the group to lay down its weapons and pursue its aims through wholly non-violent means.

The armed group, which battled Ankara for over four decades, subsequently agreed to dissolve itself, withdrawing from military positions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and engaging in a ceremonial disarmament ceremony in Sulaimani in July 2025.

The Turkish bill aims to facilitate the reintegration of former PKK fighters into society and will apply to those who notify authorities in writing "of their intention to benefit from these provisions" within six months of the National Security Council confirming that the PKK has completely ended its operations, surrendered its weapons and ammunition, and "ceased their actual existence," according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

The bill does not establish a general amnesty for former PKK fighters. Instead, it aims to establish legal procedures for matters involving the postponement of certain sentences and the handling of ongoing prosecutions, according to state media.