The “National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission,” established in Parliament within the scope of the ongoing process seeking a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, heard representatives of associations and foundations at its 11th meeting on Thursday.
Speaking at the first session, Şah İsmail Bedirhanoğlu, President of the Southeast Industrialists and Businessmen Association (GÜNSİAD), said that the unresolved Kurdish issue was hindering both democratization efforts and economic development.
Bedirhanoğlu stated that confidence in the end of the conflict has strengthened in the region, saying, “Approximately $2 trillion in resources have been wasted because of this issue.” He stated that legal regulations are necessary for the return of PKK members who have laid down their arms and listed the following demands:
“The Kurds want a new constitution that includes everyone.
– The Kurdish community also wants the obstacles to their language to be removed so that it can be used directly in education, and this is necessary.
– Alongside education, I demand the establishment of a legal framework that paves the way for the use of Kurdish in every area of life, including political activities, and for any legal obstacles to be removed. I also demand further decentralisation.
Bedirhanoğlu recalled that Turkey had previously viewed the Federal Kurdistan Region in Iraq as a threat, but that trade volume had reached $13 billion over time. He said a similar approach should be adopted for the Syrian Kurds: “An approach should be adopted that views that region not as a threat, but as an opportunity.”
Recalling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s words, “The problems of the Iraqi and Syrian Kurds are also our problems,” Bedirhanoğlu emphasized that this approach must be translated into policy on the ground.
Addressing the need for a new constitution, he noted that civil society bears the responsibility of drafting a new constitution.