A delegation of Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party visited jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan on Thursday in his island prison, where he was expected to give them a statement that Ankara hopes will pave the way for his outlawed group to disarm.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party has called on his organization to disarm and dissolve as part of a new effort to end 40 years of fighting between the state and the banned militant group.

Founded by Ocalan in 1978, the PKK has led an insurgency in Turkey’s south-east since 1984. The group is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its western allies. Previous peace efforts with the PKK have ended with failure — the most recent in 2015.