His words were read out by a delegation of pro-Kurdish DEM MPs who visited him earlier today.

The founder and historic leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, announced the dissolution and disarmament of the movement.

"All groups must disarm and the PKK must disband," Öcalan ordered.

The call came four months after Ankara offered an olive branch to the 75-year-old founder of the PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

"I am making a call for disarmament and I take historical responsibility for this call," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

His words were read out by a delegation of pro-Kurdish DEM MPs who visited him earlier today.

The declaration drew spontaneous applause in the packed hall.

In the Kurdish-populated city of Diyarbakir in the southeast of the country, where some 3,000 people had gathered in the square to hear the audio broadcast of Öcalan 's appeal, some burst into spontaneous applause and others burst into tears.

"Öcalan's call for the PKK to disarm and disband represents a seismic shift. Not just for Turkey, which has waged a decade-long war against the group, but for the region as a whole," said Hamish Kinnear, a senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft.

But his words drew a cautious response from a senior official of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP.

"If the terrorist organization heeds this call and disbands, Turkey will be freed from its shackles," said Efkan Ala, AKP deputy chairman. | BGNES