Basque Country Senator for Madrid, Gorka Elejabarrieta Diaz, spoke to Erem Kansoy of Medya Haber TV. He stated that Abdullah Öcalan’s call and the following steps taken by the Kurdish Freedom Movement indicate a historic period with the possibility of achieving a lasting peace scenario in Kurdistan.
“A historic window of opportunity has opened. In order to achieve this, other political actors involved in the issue must take similar steps, a serious dialogue process must be established, this process must turn into negotiations and result in comprehensive agreements. Turkey must also approach the issue from this perspective, that is, from the perspective of conflict resolution,” he said.
Emphasizing that the involvement of all actors in the process is essential for this opportunity to turn into a lasting peace, Diaz said, “For this reason, we believe that Abdullah Öcalan must be released as soon as possible. The sooner, the better. This way, he can actively contribute to the peace process.”
Gorka Elejabarrieta Diaz stressed that the legal recognition of the Kurdish people is essential for a comprehensive process to create a safer, more democratic society in Kurdistan, saying: “The Kurdish people, along with their language and culture, must be recognized. The Kurds must be accepted as a political subject. The need for constitutional change is clear. It is also clear that there is a need for a more inclusive social structure in Turkey that recognizes the existence of the Kurds and guarantees it. I believe that the Kurdish Movement and the Kurdish people know better than anyone else what is best for themselves.”
Gorka Elejabarrieta Diaz said he does not deny the importance of listening to as many people as possible from outside and meeting with many people in order to achieve peace. He continued: “However, you must make your final decisions yourselves. No one knows better than the Kurdish people what is best for Kurdistan. The Basque democratic movement and the Basque people strongly support the Kurdish Movement’s struggle for democracy and freedom. We also strongly support Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s right to freedom and his right to regain the ability to freely govern his people.”