Erdogan: Turkey will stop fighting Kurdish militants if they lay down their arms

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Turkey will stop fighting Kurdish militants if they lay down their arms. 

"Today's rally in Diyarbakir can be considered as a good signal,"  said Erdogan.

On Thursday, at a demonstration in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's appeal was read, in which he called on members of the group to stop confrontations with Turkish authorities, withdraw militant groups from the country and begin peace negotiations for the settlement of the protracted conflict

According to Erdogan, he waits for positive results. "It is obvious that the rebels have to lay down weapons and leave the territory of Turkey. We appreciate this rally, but it all depends on next steps. We believe that if there will be positive changes, then it will benefit the entire region,"  said Erdogan.