Speaking at the 12th meeting of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission in Parliament, Tarık Çelenk, representative of the Ecopolitical Culture, Education, and Research Foundation (EKEAV), said that the Kurdish issue is not only Turkey’s internal affair, but must also be addressed in the context of the Middle East.
“Developments in Kobanê and Erbil directly affect Turkey’s internal and external future,” he said.
Noting that Abdullah Öcalan’s concepts of “democratic nation, confederal integration, and KCK” could contribute to peace, Çelenk emphasized that the Turkish and Kurdish sides must produce common paradigms.
“Alongside Öcalan’s concepts, non-separatist Turkish and Kurdish concepts that will serve peace should be developed. This gap should be filled with a separate work,” he stated.
While resolving Turkey’s internal problems, it is also necessary to develop an inclusive soft power policy for related peoples abroad, according to Çelenk. This approach will also be important for the security of the Turkmen people, Çelenk said, adding that Turkey’s democratic past could be a “way out” for the peoples of the Middle East.
Drawing attention to the lessons that should be learned from historical processes, Çelenk added that reforms and the severing of ties are important for understanding the peace process.
Criticizing the current political discourse for promoting the approach of a “terror-free Turkey” rather than the “Kurdish issue” or “democracy,” Çelenk warned that this could freeze the issue rather than resolve it.
Çelenk emphasized that the solution requires greater involvement of civil society in the process, strengthening shared bonds of belonging, and reinforcing cultural ties: “Civil society must be involved in the process, emotional outlets must be created, cultural ties with Kurdish relatives in Iran, Iraq, and Syria must be established, and shared stories must be addressed through drama and publications. Alongside Öcalan’s concepts, Turkish-Kurdish concepts that will serve peace must be produced. Geographical borders must be removed. Steps such as Diyarbakır-Erzurum and Diyarbakır-Sulaymaniyah flights must be taken.”