The disarmament of the P.K.K., a group that has battled since the 1980s for Kurdish independence, could end a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people.
In the first footage of him to be released publicly in 25 years, Abdullah Ocalan said the P.K.K. insurgency against Turkey would be replaced by politics.
Thomas J. Barrack Jr., the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, says Washington is facilitating the discussions and prioritizing economic development over nation-building in the Middle East.
President Trump signed an executive order this week lifting most sanctions on Syria. Ahead of that action, U.S. officials laid out expectations from the new government in Damascus.