Kurds in the Middle East have been in a state of limbo since Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, gave his pioneering speech in late February.

In his historic address, he said, "Convene your congress and make a decision. All groups must lay down their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself."

While an official date for such a congressional meeting is yet to be announced, the PKK already stated on March 1 that they would comply. They also declared a unilateral ceasefire.

This could mark the beginning of the end of the PKK and their 40-year-old violent struggle for independence on Turkish territory.

However, until such an end of the PKK is confirmed, Ankara will continue to consider not only Turkey's PKK as a terrorist organization, but also the PKK headquarters in Iraq and affiliates in Syria.

Turkey expects all groups to dissolve, without exception.

In his speech, however, Ocalan did not specifically mention any of the Kurdish forces and administrations outside Turkey, although he did refer to ‘all groups,’ which could be interpreted as referring to Syrian affiliates also.

He also failed to offer an alternative roadmap for the around 35 million Kurds who remain the

© Deutsche Welle