The Kurdish people and democratic forces are mobilized everywhere in response to attacks on Rojava by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) groups backed by Turkey. Rather than acknowledging this reality, the Justice and Development Party–Nationalist Movement Party (AKP–MHP) government is pursuing a policy in Rojava that is openly hostile to Kurds. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issues statements, and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks publicly. Yet their rhetoric consistently takes the form of supporting HTS groups while threatening Kurds. A show of force is directed at the Kurdish people. In this context, it becomes increasingly difficult to make sense of the process being maintained in Imralı.
A fundamental question is being raised: how can those who act with hostility toward Kurds in Rojava claim to seek peace with Kurds in Turkey? Those who now prioritize and support HTS show no regard whatsoever for the demands and sentiments of the Kurdish people, whom they describe as “brothers” with whom they have lived side by side for a thousand years. This approach signals that the one-year period of non-conflict is likely to end by the AKP–MHP government. The language being used and the policies being pursued point to a planned assault on the Kurdish struggle for freedom and democracy. The targeting of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is already a clear indication that the AKP–MHP bloc is not pursuing a genuine peace policy.
Devlet Bahçeli, viewing the political situation in the Middle East as a threat to Turkey, appears to have concluded that a temporary easing of tensions at home was necessary for Turkey to reposition itself. At the same time, Turkey’s internal political and economic conditions were far from stable. Against this backdrop, Erdoğan and Bahçeli came together and decided to adopt a softer tone toward Kurds for a limited period. This context sheds light on Bahçeli’s handshake with DEM Party lawmakers in parliament and his call directed at Abdullah Öcalan, a figure closely followed by Kurds across the political spectrum. However, an examination of the pro-government AKP–MHP media makes clear that no genuine peace with Kurds is being pursued.
Hakan Fidan has stated openly that the talks being conducted on Imralı are not important. By claiming that Öcalan’s statements are implemented differently by the organization, he argued that there is an “organizational language” between Imralı and Kandil and said that the talks therefore hold no significance for them. He also emphasized that there is no difference between his own position and the policies pursued by the government. In doing so, Fidan effectively acknowledged that his opposition to the process from the outset reflects the government’s fundamental stance.
Taken together, these statements indicate that the AKP–MHP government has no intention of taking steps toward peace or democratization. The current process is likely to be brought to an end, attacks will be intensified, and responsibility for this escalation will be placed on Kurdish political actors. The policies being pursued at present point clearly toward the deliberate creation of such a scenario.
A parliamentary commission has been established, yet it has turned into a mechanism that conceals and legitimizes the AKP–MHP government’s approach rather than advancing peace. The commission has taken no steps toward peace or democratization. More than that, it has made no effort to even create conditions for such steps to be taken. It is known that the minutes of the commission members’ meetings on Imralı were not made public after the talks. The recent publication of selected remarks, stripped of their context and coherence, further demonstrates that the commission’s purpose is not to contribute to peace. The way the Imralı meeting was presented, followed by political commentary centered on a rug sent in response to a gift from Devlet Bahçeli to the Kurdish People’s Leader (Abdullah Öcalan), has taken the form of a political assassination. These attacks target the credibility of a leader whom the Kurdish people regard as their chief negotiator and to whom they show deep commitment. Such assaults are being carried out through a coordinated special warfare apparatus. Some Kurds are also participating in this special warfare by acting as instruments in the campaign to undermine the Kurdish People’s Leader’s standing.
For more than fifty years, Öcalan has led the Kurdish people’s struggle and commanded deep loyalty among the population. Sustained attacks have been carried out with the aim of weakening his influence. Countless accusations have been made against him. Yet even the cruel gods of mythology could not deny what he has done for this people over the past five decades. How he has maintained his stance and struggle during twenty-seven years of imprisonment is known best by the Kurdish people themselves. The fact that he has been subjected to a severe regime of isolation for twenty-seven years speaks for itself, revealing the nature of his resistance and resolve. In short, the sun cannot be covered with mud.
It has become clear that the Turkish state’s special warfare apparatus has made a concerted effort to erode Öcalan’s influence over the people and democratic forces. With this reality in mind, the Kurdish people must respond to this campaign of black propaganda and reputational assassination by embracing their leader even more firmly. One dimension of the attack on Rojava is precisely this assault on the leadership that laid the foundations of the revolution there. It is an attack on the peace and democratic society process that this leadership seeks to advance. The Kurdish people and democratic forces must recognize this reality as well. From this perspective, resisting the attack on Rojava also means defending the peace and democratic society process itself, and standing by the leadership guiding that process.
Source: Yeni Yaşam Newspaper