A senior official in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said the movement will not take any new steps in the peace process unless Ankara releases Abdullah Öcalan and constitutionally recognizes the Kurdish people.

Amid Malazgirt explained that the party has implemented all initiatives Öcalan called for, and that the next stage requires a similar commitment from Turkey.

Öcalan, imprisoned since 1999, had previously called for integrating the Kurdish issue within the legal framework of the Turkish state.

The statement is seen as a message of pressure on the Turkish government amid a stalemate in the peace process.