His message was greeted with joy in the Istanbul conference room where Öcalan’s allies gathered to broadcast his call, after displaying a photo of supporters visiting the white-haired septuagenarian. A group of older Kurdish peace activists ululated as the call to lay down arms was read out.

“This is the breaking point of history and it is a positive one,” said Sırrı Süreyya Önder of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) party. “We are here with a compass to find a possible route out of these dark chaotic days.”

Önder hinted at some of the potential problems to come, adding that while Öcalan called for the PKK’s dissolution and to lay down arms, that all of this “requires the recognition of democratic politics,” and legal support for a sustained peace.

DEM party politicians said they were hoping for a reprieve in government pressure following the announcement, after authorities in Ankara have sought to replace multiple politicians and mayors affiliated to the group, particularly in the majority-Kurdish southeast.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government has sought unilateral disarmament from the PKK, publicly quashing suggestions that Öcalan’s announcement would herald the start of peace talks.