Following Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue, various social sectors and academia continue to echo the call. While the PKK has responded to Abdullah Öcalan's call by declaring a ceasefire, the state has not yet taken any steps in this regard. While the failure of the state and the government to take steps is seen as the biggest uncertainty in front of the finalization of the process, Peace Academician Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yücel Demirer stated that peace is as important as bread and water. 

 

Stating that peace affects all areas of society, Demirer said, “We know very little about the process. We are not aware of the details about the way this process is progressing. Especially in the context of the People's Alliance directing this process in line with its own interests."

 

'WE MUST DEMAND EQUALITY'

 

Emphasizing the need for a close follow-up and an audience language that benefits from world examples for the process to move forward, Demirer said, “In this process, the clarity of the actors, the respect of the representatives sitting on both sides of the table to each other is very important. But on the other hand, we will not withhold our critical perspective from this process. We are experiencing an economic crisis. When people are struggling with hunger, they react differently to sentences containing the word peace. Especially in the context of the long years of suffering of the Kurdish people, they have many questions. First of all, we should not give up demanding equality in this negotiation process."

 

Pointing out that the lack of trust is felt from both sides, Demirer stated that confidence-building measures should be taken and pointed to the necessity of taking confidence-building steps. Emphasizing that confidence-building measures have two dimensions, Demirer said, “First, the lack of information must be eliminated. A mechanism for regular information transfers involving representatives of both sides needs to be established. The second dimension of confidence-building measures is the psychological dimension. The long period of conflict in Turkey has left painful memories in all segments of society. In order to change these, the victims of this conflict need to be represented and civil society needs to contribute. I see that the psychological preparation dimension in particular has not been given the importance it deserves in preparation for the process we are going through."

 

'ÖCALAN'S WORKING CONDITIONS MUST BE ENSURED'

 

Demirer said, “Abdullah Öcalan has a heavy burden in this process and it is a necessity to provide the working conditions that this burden requires. This is a political issue. It is a technical issue rather than a campaign, political propaganda or a political issue. Because in an international issue that concerns millions of people, it seems very difficult to carry out the process with such a high level of agency within these limitations. It does not seem healthy either." 

 

DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA

 

Hakan Tahmaz, Chair of the Peace Foundation, drew attention to the developments in Syria regarding the process. Stating that there are two texts in the middle, Tahmaz said: "Öcalan has a text. There is also a text signed by the Damascus administration and Mazloum Abdi. The political ground, responsibilities and duties on which these two texts are based are different. I see that the text signed in Syria is a protocol of the Syrian peace process, that it has a historical significance, and that the Kurds, who do not even have the right to identity, are partners in the new state building of Syria. How can this come to life? What is the possibility of realisation? These can be discussed. But let us know that the reason for the signing of this text is that there is a ground that HTS alone is not enough in the construction of the new state in Syria and that the Kurds should be taken as an ally. Especially the massacre against the Alawites and the possibility of not being able to establish a new state mobilised both international and regional powers. And this dynamic has produced such a text. This will be a great achievement. Why? Because the main orientation in the world at the moment is the security of states."

 

Tahmaz emphasised that the steps taken by Turkey after the agreement in Syria have a wrong potential and said: "There is a possibility that Turkey will try as much as it can to invalidate that agreement. This will be a big blow to the process in Turkey, because Turkey is at a critical threshold. In Öcalan's words, there is a possibility of 'moving to the legal and political ground in the Kurdish conflict'. He is making efforts for this. I am worried that this could have a negative impact on the PKK's ability to organise its congress and produce healthy results. Turkey should give up on this first. Because this is a problem that could turn into a minefield. If the table is overturned again, if Öcalan is left out of the picture, if Kandil fails to organise a congress or if the congress does not produce a result as Öcalan describes, Turkey will turn into a minefield. Even if there is no armed conflict, political and cultural conflict will deepen."

 

MA / Melik Çelik