Members of the Imrali Delegation of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, along with Faik Özgür Erol, a lawyer from Asrın Law Office, met with the Labor Party (EMEP) delegation at the EMEP Headquarters. A joint press statement was made following the meeting in Ankara on Monday.
EMEP: Reports fail to reflect the demands of the Kurdish people
EMEP General Chairman Seyit Aslan condemned the attack on Kurdish politician Leyla Zana as “ugly and racist.” He emphasized that such attacks are unacceptable at a time when a new process is being discussed, and stated that they stand with Leyla Zana.
Aslan also touched on the discussions surrounding the process, stating that the published reports failed to adequately reflect the demands of the Kurdish people and that EMEP had shared its own report with the public.
‘The process should be brought to a conclusion’
Noting that the Kurdish question is a 100-year-old historical issue, Aslan stated: “As a party, we will continue to make every effort we can to resolve the conflicts and negative situations that have occurred. We will also continue to share our work and thoughts with the public regarding the need for this process to be crowned with peace and to result in equal rights. During today’s meeting with the delegation, we had the opportunity to both express our own thoughts and learn the delegation’s thoughts on this process. In the coming period, we will certainly follow the efforts to ensure this process is secured by law and to develop this process through legislation. Of course, we will discuss this. We will demand that steps be taken to ensure that the process is brought to a conclusion and that genuine peace is achieved. We will continue to work together to ensure that mayors are reinstated, that the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights are implemented, and that obstacles to democratic rights and freedoms are removed.”
Buldan: One of the closest moments to peace
DEM Party MP Pervin Buldan stated that a critical process was underway and that the support of all political parties was needed. Buldan said they had been visiting political parties for about a week and emphasized that this was one of the closest moments to peace.
Pervin Buldan stated that everyone must take responsibility for an honorable peace, saying, “Now it is time for concrete action. We have seen the MHP’s full support in this regard at every stage. We have observed and seen them stand by us and contribute to the process with their statements. There is certainly a consensus on the continuation of this support, as discussed in the meeting we held a little while ago.”
Pervin Buldan emphasized that the Kurdish question and democratization do not concern only the DEM Party or the Kurds, but rather affect 86 million people, and therefore everyone’s contribution is needed. She stated that they will meet with Justice Minister and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş tomorrow, and that they plan to meet with the President after completing their visits to political parties.
Pervin Buldan continued, “We have reached the second stage, which, as you know, requires legal regulation. We are now consulting on this. What kind of law will be enacted, and who will it cover? Therefore, we learned the government’s important ideas and thoughts on this matter during our meeting. However, I would like to emphasize once again that this law must be enacted quickly, without any delay.”
Sancar: Peace requires law
Mithat Sancar stated that peace requires law, emphasizing that the ultimate guarantee of law is political struggle and the embracement of a democratic society. Sancar stated that broad democratic unity and strong social support are necessary for rules not to remain on paper, and emphasized the importance of joint struggle in this direction.
Sancar said that EMEP is ready to contribute to the process and has expressed its will to continue working together within a common framework.