MÊRDİN – Journalist Pakrat Estukyan emphasized that peace and a democratic society are not only necessities for Kurds but for all humanity. He said taht Abdullah Ocalan has reshaped the norms of political science and offers “a formula fort he coexistence of humanity.”

 

The Democratic Unity Initiative held the second of its conferences titled “Peoples, Faiths, and Democratic Coexistence in Mesopotamia” in Mêrdîn (Mardin), following Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s “Call for Peace and Democratic Society”. The conference focused on finding a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue and building a peaceful society. 

 

Speaking to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Estukyan, the Armenian-language editör of Agos Newspaper, said that the strong public participation in the conference was meaningful in itself. He said: “This shows how deeply rooted the idea of coexistence, peace, and preservined one’s identity in this region. Such a gathering culd not happen in the western provinces of Turkey. But here, we see this massive participation.”

 

He noted that the conference hall was filled to capacity and that the interest shown reflected the personal costs people have paid. 

 

Estukyan said: “Peace is a necessity. Many of those in the hall have lost loved ones in the conflict. Their call for peace comes from experience and pain. Those who never bore such burdens and still say ‘let’s fight, let’s win, let’s lose’ are just posturing. The real voice belong to those who lived through the suffering, and today they are saying peace.”

 

‘IF WE NEED PEACE, WE WILL BUILD IT’

 

Estukyan stressed that the construction of a democratic society is a universal necessity, not one limited to Kurds. He said: “Look at Gaza today. What we see there is the burtality of state terror against civilians. Peace is as essential as bread, water, and the air we breathe. People around the world are becoming aware of this. Here too, we see this consciousness emerging. We have lived through our own forty-year experience. If we now feel the need for peace, that means we are also ready to build it.”

 

‘OCALAN IS OFFERING A BLUEPRINT FOR COEXISTENCE’

 

Criticizing the approach toward Öcalan Estukyan said: “They still call him ‘terrorist leader Ocalan’. Even when we refer to this great thinker, this great political scientist, as ‘Mr. Ocalan’, it disturbs some people. But we must remember that Abdullah Ocalan is redefining modern political theory. The frameworks he offers are recipes for how humanity can live tohether. Neither politicians, academics, nor intellectuals have shed those prejudices. We’ve forgotten how to listen to what is said rather than who says it. Only by doing that can we create meaning.”

 

‘WE MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY’

 

Estukyan argued that social peace should not be left to the government, saying that the people themselves must take initiative. Estukyan said: “The government has already defined its role. Social peace is not its concern. We must act, keep our faith, lean on one another, and not fall into the same errors as our opponents. We must evaluate people by their words, not their identities. If their words carry value, take them seriously; if not, don’t waste time. We are witnesses and also responsible for our times. If tyrants still rule today, I share in that responsibility. When my grandchild asks, ‘What did you do when all this was happening?’ I must have an answer.”

 

MA / Ahmet Kanbal