Sezai Temelli, Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), drew attention to policies toward Syria while assessing the democratic resolution of the Kurdish question.
Temelli highlighted the disparity between the process being pursued in Turkey and Ankara’s approach to Syria, saying that a monist and security-driven mindset based on denying Kurdish existence in Syria reflects the continuation of outdated political codes.
He said negotiation and dialogue must replace the language of war and conflict, adding that lasting peace can only be built on legal equality, equal citizenship, and a democratic political framework.
Temelli also recalled the manifesto announced by Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February 2025, stressing that peace should not be limited to the silencing of weapons but must be addressed together with a democratic society perspective.
Syria is still viewed through old political codes
Sezai Temelli said that Turkey’s policies toward Syria and its broader regional approach have a direct impact on the process aimed at the democratic resolution of the Kurdish question.
He underlined that the process cannot be confined within Turkey’s borders alone, stressing that the Kurdish question has regional and global dimensions. In this context, Temelli criticized policies toward Syria for continuing to be shaped by past security-oriented mindsets.
Temelli spoke about the current state of the process and the challenges it faces and said: “There is a process, and this is a process concerning the resolution of the Kurdish question. There is an ongoing search for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, and a process is underway regarding how this can be realized. The manifesto put forward by Mr. Öcalan on 27 February is, in fact, an important guide in this regard. Of course, this process is not developing at the desired pace, and certain problems are being experienced. Nevertheless, compared to its initial stage, it is a reality that some progress has been made and that certain developments are expected in the coming period. However, what you call the resolution of the Kurdish question is not an issue that can be confined to Turkey alone. The Kurdish question is a regional issue; it is also a global issue. Therefore, when we speak of a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, it is necessary to consider this entire geography and the dynamics at the global level. By doing so, it is possible both to contribute to the advancement of this process and to refer the resolution of the issue in other arenas to politics. Yet politics in Turkey, Turkey’s foreign policy, and the state’s overall approach reveal serious problems, both in terms of shortcomings and disruptions in the approach to the internal resolution process, and in terms of attitudes toward Kurds beyond Turkey’s borders.”
Temelli added: “Syria is one of the foremost issues. When we look at it, we see that past political understandings and old political codes are still influential in the approach to Syria. In other words, setting aside the democratic resolution of the Kurdish question, we are faced with a picture in which the Kurdish question continues to be denied, and an understanding previously experienced in Turkey is being exported to Syria. This is, of course, unacceptable. The issue is holistic. It must be addressed and evaluated in its entirety, together with Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and even the diaspora. While it may not be possible for the same methods and the same timetable to operate everywhere, addressing the issue in a comprehensive manner remains essential.”
Ignoring one side is not a solution
Sezai Temelli also addressed recent statements by Devlet Bahçeli on Syria and the Kurdish question. Criticizing Bahçeli’s war-focused rhetoric, Temelli stressed that a solution lies not in military methods but in negotiation and dialogue and shared the following assessment regarding the process that must be pursued both in Turkey and Syria: “Yesterday’s statements were, unfortunately, deeply regrettable. Continuing to speak in terms of war does not contribute to resolving the issue. What truly contributes to a solution is negotiation and dialogue.
Just as an attempt is being made to pursue negotiations in Turkey, priority in Syria must also be given to negotiation. There is constant reference to the 10 March Agreement. For the 10 March Agreement to genuinely be an agreement, the negotiation rights of the parties must be respected.
Because of these negotiation rights, the process must be carried forward through mutual dialogue. Otherwise, ignoring one of the parties and reviving the old ailments of the past through a monist approach in Syria is not a solution.”
People in Iran are also demanding freedom, bread, and justice
Sezai Temelli also assessed political crises in the Middle East and the regional dimensions of the Kurdish question, drawing attention to the structural problems created by the governing approach in Iran.
Temelli said the political and legal rights of Kurds and other peoples in Iran have long been denied, adding that a crisis deepened by executions and repressive policies has become unsustainable. He also said: “One of the most significant paradigmatic contributions put forward by Mr. Öcalan is the concept of the democratic nation. Accordingly, across these four countries and the four parts of Kurdistan, the only way to end the tension, at times war, at times conflict and violence, between Turks and nation-states is to produce solutions based on the democratic nation approach.
We see the same issue in Iran as well. Although there are certain differences from other geographies, we know that Iran has a repressive regime that persistently denies Kurds’ political rights and legal equality, sustaining this denial within a vortex of violence. This repression targets not only Kurds but all peoples living in Iran, and over the years it has repeatedly led to uprisings and unrest. Looking at the situation today, this reality is clear: people are demanding freedom, bread, and justice.
For these legitimate demands to be realized, it is crucial for the peoples of Iran to raise them in a spirit of solidarity and through organized action. It has become increasingly difficult for the regime to continue along its current path. One of the main reasons behind Iran’s prolonged crises is precisely this governing mentality. For this reason, a transformation in Iran based on the democratic nation approach has become inevitable. This will not happen overnight, but developments indicate that the direction of change is now set.”
Genuine peace requires equality and an end to rights violations
Sezai Temelli said that lasting peace can only be built on law, equal citizenship, and a democratic political foundation while assessing debates on peace and the resolution process. Temelli said discussions centered on weapons and conflict focus on outcomes rather than root causes, adding that genuine peace is impossible unless inequality and rights violations are addressed. He expressed his approach to the political and social conditions of peace as follows: “Of course, everyone wants peace. But what you call peace, above all, rests on the law. The most fundamental reference point of this law today is its grounding in equal citizenship. Therefore, if Kurds, Turks, and all other peoples are to live together, and this is realized based on equal citizenship, equal peoples, and a legal framework in which everyone exists with the same rights, then peace already becomes lasting and gains unshakable strength. But if peace is attempted to be built on incomplete citizenship, othering, or denial, it cannot find a social foundation for peace in the first place. As a result, the likelihood of the process of reverting to conflict increases.
Today, we constantly speak about weapons and conflicts. We take stock of a period spanning more than 40 years. Yet these are outcomes. The fact that conflict and weapons have found a place in politics is an outcome. We do not speak about the causes. And the causes are precisely these inequalities and the denial of rights. Therefore, ignoring these causes while expecting a period of conflict to end constitutes the greatest obstacle to reaching the construction of genuine peace. That is why we say: let us resolve the causes and problems in a permanent way.
Indeed, this was one of the most important emphases of the 27 February manifesto: peace and democratic society. Abdullah Öcalan did not merely call for ‘peace’; he also described the political climate and ground in which peace can sustain itself. This is crucial. Politics must reach this level of understanding, for Turkey, for Syria, and for other geographies as well. Only in this way can last peace truly be achieved.
It should also be said that, compared to the past, awareness has emerged across many areas and segments of politics that the issue must develop on this basis. Although the language of violence rooted in old habits continues to surface at times, the shared future of the peoples of Turkey lies in peace, through a restructuring grounded in legal equality and equal citizenship.”