Discussions on the solution of the Kurdish issue remain on the agenda. PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan gave important messages on the solution of the issue and democratization of the country during his talks with the DEM Party delegation on December 28. In the message all political actors were urged to "take initiative without getting caught up in narrow, short-term interests". While emphasizing that the most important solution ground is the Parliament, it was underlined that the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood should be strengthened again. While the messages resonated widely in the public opinion, the DEM Party delegatiion held meetings with the AKP, CHP, MHP, DEVA, Future Party, New Welfare Party, Felicity Party in line with Abdullah Öcalan's suggest. The talks are expected to continue in the coming days, after which a new meeting is expected to take place in İmralı. 

 

Historian and Cultural Anthropologist Yektan Türkyılmaz evaluated the discussions on the solution of the Kurdish issue and Abdullah Öcalan's messages. 

 

Stressed that the Kurdish issue has turned into a multi-actor issue, Türkyılmaz said that the Kurdish issue is a national, ethnic, cultural and political issue. "There is no longer a conflict process in Turkey as before. In fact the problem in the North is essentially no longer a weapons problem. Look, you elect a mayor and a trustee is appointed in his place. Do you know what the problem here originate from? It originate from the Kurdish movement not following the line of this regime. The reason why Kurds are oppressed is not because there are guerrillas. There has been a de-facto non-conflict for almost 10 years? Aren't there clashes? There are. Byt if you compare it with other groups, they also have this much" he said. 

 

'OCALAN IS A VERY IMPORTANT LEADER'   

 

Commenting on Abdullah Öcalan's messages to the delegation, Türkyılmaz stated that Öcalan said similar things to what he said in 1993 and that he was always looking for an interlocutor. Türkyılmaz said, “Kurds have a misfortune. The Kurds do not have a civilized interlocutor. How did the last process collapse? Erdoğan looks at the daily political picture and acts accordingly. When he thinks it is not in his interest, he twists and throws it in the trash. This is what happened and is happening. There is no civilized interlocutor. What does this mean? First of all, there should be no doubt about intentions. Secondly, the procedure should be transparent and there should be no deception.” 

 

Türkyılmaz said, “Öcalan is a very important political leader not only for Kurds but also for the Middle East. When we talk about Rojava today, we are not only talking about Kurds. Half of its population is not even Kurdish and he has been ruling for more than 10 years. During this time they have remained the most important regions in Syria. This is a great achievement. This is not something that can be done by force, by violence. So Abdullah Öcalan is an important political figure. Abdullah Öcalan is a leader who cares more about the process than the result. He cares about the process itself, but who is the interlocutor? When is this process valuable? When it has an interlocutor. There is no interlocutor in Turkey. It is suspicious. How do they see this process? I think they see an opportunity here. They want to instrumentalize the Kurdish issue.”

 

'THEY SEE IT AS A COLONIAL OPPORTUNITY'  

 

Türkyılmaz stated that the Kurdish people do not only pay attention to constitutional changes and said, “People follow what happens around the Tishreen Dam day by day. They follow day by day what you are advising HTS to do. They follow day by day what you are trying to do with the SMO. They follow how you use all diplomatic and military means at your disposal to prevent the Kurds from having any status. They follow your F-16s. Therefore, as long as this political line continues, there will be no response. In addition, the process does not have a name.

 

Stating that Turkey is afraid of the status of the Rojava people, Türkyılmaz said, “Why are they afraid? Because if the Kurds in Rojava have a status, you will no longer be able to keep the Kurds in Nusaybin under these conditions. If the Kurds in Rojava have status, if those in Kobanê make decisions about their own cities, you cannot keep those in Suruç looking at Ankara. How much do you tolerate Kurds deciding for themselves? This is now being measured here. Do you know what the current regime sees when it looks at Syria? It sees a piece of land on which it will carve its future. In other words, it sees Turkey as an area where they can build what they want to see tomorrow. They see it as a colonial opportunity.”

 

'IF TURKEY WANT SOLUTION IT TAKE ROJAVA AS AN EXAMPLE'

 

Stating that Turkey will be forced to accept the status of North and East Syria, Türkyılmaz said that the power of the SDF and the regional balances will cause this and added, “Regional balances do not allow this. It tried to occupy too much. After December 8, this was the image that emerged in the first week. There was a great mobilization in Ankara, there was a buildup on the border, but it did not materialize. I think the first reason why it didn't happen is geopolitics, diplomatic balances. I think it was especially the American obstruction. Also there was diplomatic pressure from Israel. The joint statement of the German and French Foreign Ministries was very striking here. Therefore, you need to say that in order for Turkey's view of Rojava to change, Turkey's view of itself must change.”

 

Stating that Rojava's statements since December 8 have not provoked the situation in Syria, Türkyılmaz said, “Today, the SDF or the regional autonomous administration has reached a maturity. I think it is wrong to reduce this to military maturity. It is not insignificant, but it has reached an administrative maturity. It has reached a political maturity. It would be the easiest thing in the world for the Rojava administration to govern only the Kurds. The administration is not only governing the Kurds. It is also not an administration established by Kurds alone. If Turkey wants a solution, it should not seek to abolish Rojava, but to take it as an example.” 

 

'OCALAN IS VERY IMPORTANT ACTOR'

 

Stating that Turkey is very suitable for the solution of the Kurdish issue, Türkyılmaz said, “There cannot be such a process without Öcalan being free. There is no precedent. You are now handcuffing someone and then you say let's solve this issue. The ABC of this is not house arrest. They also have to see Öcalan as an actor. Öcalan is a very important actor. They also have to meet with other actors. If they want to meet with the SDF, they have to do it separately.” 

 

Stating that the DEM Party should not only be an intermediary in this process, Türkyılmaz said that the party should be considered as a part of solution process. He said that the DEM Party's contacts with political parties should not be just symbolic. Türkyılmaz said, “CHP constantly says that it is the founding party.  However, they are spectators in all matters. CHP is behind 1989. They do not have a solution proposal themselves. They comment on the proposals of others. Today, Ekrem İmamoğlu or Özel should put forward an alternative project. The CHP thinks this is not going to work and aims to gather reactions after these discussions are over. It is thinking of collecting the reactions among Kurds. It thinks about its interests, its power. This is a risky thing. How is Erdoğan hiding? Everyone sees it but no one says anything. Can there be a solution without Erdoğan? A solution without Erdoğan is no solution.

                    

Regarding the process, he said that the media close to the CHP put those who were actors in the war against the Kurds in the 90s on their channels, “Instead of a real solution, they put them on the screen. They put those who praise the denial and massacre projects on the screen. This is a very terrible situation. Not because they will cause great harm to the Kurds, but they should look in the mirror themselves. They should look at the damage they are doing to themselves. They will see that they are doing the greatest harm to themselves.” 

 

MA / Mehmet Aslan