The 12th meeting of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission has concluded. During the two-session meeting, think tanks and research organizations shared their assessments of the process. Presentations emphasized that public support for the process remains high, but that delays in taking action have led to a loss of confidence.
‘A transparent and phased roadmap must be shared with the public’
Dr. Kadir Temiz, President of the Middle East Research Center (ORSAM), pointed out that international politics is undergoing a transition. He said, “Western-centric normative values are being seriously challenged by alternatives emerging from Asia. We can say that localism has emerged as a counterpoint to globalization.” Temiz emphasized that a transparent and phased roadmap must be shared with the public in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria to ensure the sustainability of the process.
‘The commission should primarily focus on legal issues’
Genar Research Director İhsan Aktaş stated that the commission should primarily focus on legal issues, saying, “Some issues are related to rights based on the law. Resolving these issues will have very positive repercussions. The new constitution and the vision of strong democratization will naturally resolve many issues.”
‘We will complete this process as soon as possible’
Speaking at the close of the meeting, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said the commission was making positive progress. He said, “We see significant differences between where we started and where we are now. We will complete this process as soon as possible and present a solid report to Parliament that includes our expectations for democratization and the rule of law.”
Kurtulmuş emphasized that the talks during commission meetings have revealed very important findings. He continued, “We hope that all of our civil society organizations that have come here, all of our friends who have contributed to this process here and who advocate for the current work to be finalized will share these positive views within their own circles and ensure that opinions develop in order to increase social consent.”
‘Over 75 percent of the public supports the process’
Kurtulmuş noted that over 75 percent of the public supports the process, stating, “The most fundamental expectation of our Kurdish citizens is the elimination of hesitations regarding their identity. Their sense of belonging is strong, and this is our greatest assurance.”
‘The most important thing is the will to build a future together’
Kurtulmuş added: “In parallel with this process that began with the PKK laying down its arms, we must focus on building a strong future together for Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Yazidis, Sunnis, Shiites, and Alevis in all of our regional countries and neighboring countries. We can conduct historical analyses. One thing that our Eastern societies love to do is talk a lot about the past. We can talk about the past, we can analyze the present very well, but the most important thing is to demonstrate the will to build a very strong, powerful future together.”