Speaking at the 3rd Ordinary General Assembly of the Association for Cooperation and Solidarity, Unity and Culture with Families Who Lost Their Loved Ones in the Cradle of Civilizations (MEBYA-DER) Mardin Branch, Keskin Bayındır, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), said: “With the call and philosophy of Mr. Öcalan, the unity of the Kurds has reached a historic point. This imposes certain responsibilities on us. What are these responsibilities? It is for the Kurds to ensure their unity and determine their future on their own land.”
Bayındır further stated the following: “I believe that the Kurds will also lead the way for unity in the Middle East. Fifty years of armed struggle has reached a point. Following Mr. Öcalan’s call, the PKK’s stance and its decision to disband and burn its weapons sent a message to the Kurdish people and the world. The struggle against denial and annihilation has reached a certain point. No one can deny or ignore the Kurds. This message has been conveyed. The Kurds are now closer than ever to achieving their own status.
Let us believe that it was not global powers or states but the resistance of the Kurdish people that initiated this process. The process emerged as a result of the struggle of the Kurds everywhere. We have reached this point thanks to the struggle of the martyrs and heroes. Mothers have been in the streets demanding freedom and peace up until today. We will transform this process into a process of freedom and peace with our own will and strength. We are calling for peace and demanding democracy not because we are weak, but because we are strong.
That’s why we’ll take on the burden of this process. We’ll carry it out and strengthen the hand of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the peoples. We don’t expect anything from the state or global powers. We trust ourselves and Mr. Öcalan. Kurdistan will achieve its status, and the Kurdish people will take their rights into their own hands. We trust in ourselves, in Mr. Öcalan, and in the Kurdistan freedom movement.”