Its first and only leader, Abdullah Ocalan, or Apo as he came to be called, was at that time a student of political science at Ankara University. .
From the late 1970s, Ocalan worked closely with both the then Soviet Union and with Syria, whose governments were attempting to generate a political breakdown in Turkey. .
In 1977, the PKK published a series of "communiqués" demanding the separation of Kurdistan from Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. These communiqués condemned the Turkish government for engaging in repressive "exploitation" of the Kurds and "denial" of their educational and cultural heritage. Apo claims his main goal is the creation of a country for the world's 20 to 25 million Kurds, more than half of whom live in Turkey, the rest in Iraq, Iran and other neighboring countries. Roughly, a million are in Europe, in exile or as migrants, the bulk of whom are in Germany. He stated also that he wanted to put an end to Turkish colonialism and all forms of imperialist domination over Kurdistan.
Turkey has been a key player against the PKK. Geography, politics and history have conspired to render 30 million Kurds the largest stateless people in the Middle East. The Government of Turkey has long denied the Kurdish population, located largely in the southeast, basic political, cultural, and linguistic rights. The government of Turkey has in turn waged an intense campaign to suppress PKK terrorism, targeting active PKK units as well as persons they believe support or sympathize with the PKK. As part of its fight against the PKK, the Government forcibly displaced noncombatants, failed to resolve extra judicial killings, tortured civilians, and abridged freedom of expression. The Turkish government has also managed to burn over 4,000 villages forcing Kurds to flee from their homeland. Finally, the Turkish government estimates that the conflict with the PKK has exacted a high financial drain on the national treasury.