Kurdistan Alliance meeting: We will build the future together

The Kurdistani Alliance parties met in Amed (Diyarbakır) at a hotel on Friday. The meeting was attended by the people listed below: People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Mithat Sancar, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chairs Saliha Aydeniz and Keskin Bayındır, Kurdistan Communist Party (KKP) Chairman Sinan Çiftyürek, Human and Freedom Party (PIA) Chairman Mehmet Kamaç, Kurdistan Democratic Party of Turkey Chairman Mehmet Kamaç, Kurdistan Democratic Party of Turkey Chairman Mehmet Kamaç (T-KDP) Mehmet Emin Kardaş, Assembly Member of the Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK) Ali Haydar, Deputy Chairman of the Azadi Movement Cemal Sat, Sertaç Bucak of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-North (KDP-Bakur), Halim İpek of the Revolutionary Democratic Kurdish Association (DDKD), and HDP deputies İmam Taşçer, Semra Güzel, Nusrettin Maçin, and Necdet İpekyüz.

HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar issued a joint statement and stated that the reason they gathered as Kurdistani Alliance parties was to exchange opinions on the declaration they made public as HDP on September 27. He noted that today is the anniversary of HDP’s establishment, adding; “HDP is thriving over time, but it also intends to expand as a power and actor.”

‘DEMOCRACY AND THE KURDISH QUESTION ARE INTEGRATED’

Sancar stated that with the declaration they released, they began a process of negotiation and dialogue regarding the country’s core and pressing challenges. He continued:

“We believe that we can address our problems through politics, democratic means, and negotiation. Negotiation can function in accordance with its meaning only in the event of addressing all segments of society. Of course, negotiation is more than just a talk or discourse between people who bear the same thoughts. It is an endeavour to open up channels of communication and debate with others who hold opposing views. We feel that the solution to our issues will emerge from this basis. The peace and democracy alliance that we are attempting to establish aims for a democratic settlement and peace, particularly in the Kurdish question, but we consider Turkey’s democratic beginnings as an inseparable element of it. Because Turkey’s democracy and Kurdish problems are closely linked. To that end, we hope to forge a companionship, a unity of struggle, and a broad alliance in both the Kurdish region and Turkey as a whole. We’ve stated numerous times what we hope to gain from an alliance which we do not consider as a purely electoral policy but a joint struggle. We are all aware that the election is the most pressing topic in Turkey right now. Although it is unclear when the elections will take place, the necessary accounts have been established. We believe that we addressed that in our declaration.”

‘WE WANT TO SEE ALL THE KURDISH PARTIES AND INSTITUTIONS WITH US’

Sancar noted that the electoral alliance they hoped to build has taken on new dimensions today and that they want to see all Kurdish parties and platforms on their side. Underlining that the work on this issue continues, Sancar said, “The forthcoming period and elections will be one of the most significant and abrupt turning points in Turkey’s history. It is possible to build co-existence with a democratic and fresh start. These opportunities, we feel, are greater than ever before. The major issue is the effectiveness and impact of our attempts to put these opportunities into practice. We shall see a new beginning in Turkey if we can establish a strong and widespread alliance using these prospects. What we mean by a new beginning is to pave the path for the resolution of the issues that have been piled up thus far. We do not claim to be able to address all the difficulties in a single day. Thanks to our prior knowledge and experience, such a delusion is out of the question. But we have the opportunity and the power to pave a significant path forward. We firmly believe in it.”

‘LET’S FORM AN ALLIANCE AGAINST WAR’

Sancar went on to say that they had talks with Kurdish parties and had extremely meaningful and useful discussions:

“We shall now concretize our path and rebuild it together. We will step up our efforts to build a better future together, and we are confident that we can. The question of peace is currently one of Turkey’s most important challenges. This government appears to have tied its existence to divisiveness, conflict, and antagonism policies. The most important tool of these policies is war. We’ve recently begun to hear loud war crys again. Our most crucial duty right now is to establish the broadest anti-war coalition possible. More than ever, we need a strong movement of peace. We need a robust anti-war struggle now more than ever.

We shall, of course, endeavour to spread this tremendous peace movement throughout Turkey. But I want to underline that the starting point is right here, on this land, because war policies are being implemented in the Kurdish territories, from Syria to Southern Kurdistan. As a result, we believe that the Kurdish region is the best site to run a powerful peace movement. We made a decision approximately a year ago at another meeting in Diyarbakir. Let us work together to develop a robust  peace movement in Turkey, but we may not have time to wait for that. If we wait, it’s possible that we’ll be too late. For this reason, first and foremost, we need a robust Kurdish peace movement. Let us join forces to build a Kurdish anti-war alliance. First and foremost, let us raise the loudest and broadest voice against war.

I’m confident that the Kurdish peace movement will swiftly spread throughout Turkey. It will have an influence not only in Turkey but also serve as a significant source of rights for peace in the Middle East. I believe we are at a comparable stage in our consultations on this matter. We will finalize our work as soon as possible and present our methods and program through the talks that we have just begun here and will keep going. More events will be held in Diyarbakır.”