While the Commission on Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy continues its listening sessions, the AKP government’s failure to take steps in the process and its “stalling” are raising questions among the people.
Drawing attention to the fact that the “right to hope” has not yet been implemented, and that violations continue, some citizens of Amed told ANF that the lack of steps in line with the spirit of the process is unacceptable.
An opportunity for all peoples
Halise Badki saw the process as a major opportunity even for the state, saying: “They have a huge chance in front of them to use this. War continues in the Middle East, balances are shifting. If Turkey does not undergo change and transformation toward peace, it will suffer greatly. Today there is a serious economic and social crisis. If it does not seize this chance for peace and set its direction, the crisis will grow. Keeping the process stagnant benefits no one. Peace is the only option that will be good for the peoples. The state must be convinced by now. Above all, the state must also take steps to get itself out of this crisis. How long can it try to sustain itself this way? The state must see these risks and crises and take steps accordingly.”
This war has no winners
Necat Yılmaz pointed out that both the Kurdish people and the state have been harmed by the ongoing conflicts. Yılmaz said: “Everything is out in the open. Just as much as the Kurdish people have suffered from this war, so has the state. We have the whole example of the Middle East before us. Everyone sees the state of Syria and Iran. If the state does not take a significant step toward solving the Kurdish question, its fate will be no different from theirs. Wars have no winners. Today peace is an opportunity for all of us, and just as we want it, they should want it too. This problem needs to be solved democratically. If it is not solved, the existing crisis will deepen and the war will continue. Today Erdoğan is still concerned with holding onto his seat, pursuing a politics where, since he sees that whoever the Kurdish people side with wins, he tries to play that game. We are not the old Kurds; Kurds fought the most barbaric ISIS and achieved gains. The state, under any condition, has to take some steps somehow.”
Failure to take steps means losing
Nezahat Süer emphasized that peace is the shared demand of mothers. Süer said: “We want this process that has begun to end in peace. Let blood no longer be shed and let no one die. They need to make good use of this opportunity. We have suffered a lot; no one should suffer anymore. We are ready for peace, and all peoples must be ready for this peace. If this process does not succeed today, both we and they will lose. The only demand of us mothers is that this process end in peace. Everyone is watching as if this were simple, but this process is not simple—it is the negotiation at the end of 50 years. That is why everyone must recognize the value of this call and this demand. Peace is the only option that will make everyone gain.”