On a plane back to Turkey following his capture in 1999, Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan declared that he loved his country and "would serve it if required.” More than a quarter of a century later, that could now emerge as a call on his separatist group to lay down arms.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to revive peace talks with the Kurds alongside discussions with Washington over the future of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in neighboring Syria following the ousting of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

He sees an opportunity to take advantage of upheaval and thwart what Turkey sees as the growing threat of Kurdish nationalism in the region. If successful, it would boost Turkey’s aspirations to reshape the Middle East and burnish support for Erdogan as he seeks to rewrite the constitution and extend his rule.