2025-05-26
10 分钟Welcome to The World in 10.
In an increasingly uncertain world, this is The Times' daily podcast dedicated to global security.
Today with me, Stuart Willey.
For Turkey, the seeming end of a decades-long conflict with the Kurdish PKK has come,
as that militant group says it's to lay down weapons and disband.
It's a move that could alter the course of conflicts across Turkey's neighbourhood and points to President Erdogan's and Ankara's growing diplomatic heft.
My guest today is Liz Cookman,
who has covered the twists and turns of Turkey's influence from Syria,
Ukraine and now Istanbul, where she's reporting for The Times.
Liz, just how big a deal is the end of the PKK armed struggle?
Yeah, it's a really big deal.
The PKK has been fighting the Turkish state for over 40 years.
Tens of thousands of people have died.
This is the first time that they have come this far with any kind of peace negotiations.
They have had them before, but they've usually collapsed after a while.
And it could finally mean an end to one of the world's longest running conflicts.
It's not over yet.
They've made it clear that disarmament depends on how the Turkish government responds,
especially around Kurdish rights.
And it's a bit of a mystery what the Turkish government has agreed to in terms of concessions that they're willing to give the Kurdish side.