The report prepared by the commission established within parliament seeking a resolution to the Kurdish question has created significant political debate. However, the failure of these discussions to turn into concrete steps—particularly the government’s reluctance to enact legal regulations—has deepened doubts about the sincerity and seriousness of the process. Calls for the state to clearly define the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s status have come to the forefront, while delays in taking necessary steps for a resolution are being criticized.
‘The state is still insisting on a “wait-and-see” policy’
Speaking to ANF, DEM Party MP Yılmaz Hun stated that the Kurdish side has fulfilled its responsibilities for the advancement of the process, while the state is still insisting on a “wait-and-see” policy:
“Since February 27 (when Öcalan announced his ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society in 2025), various developments have taken place. The Kurdish Freedom Movement took several concrete steps and did everything it could to advance the process. Mr. Abdullah Öcalan also did everything in his power to prepare and consolidate the ground. However, the concrete developments we expected from the state have not occurred. Apart from the commission in parliament, there has been no tangible progress.”
‘A process conducted under isolation is doomed to stagnate’
Emphasizing that Öcalan is the architect of the resolution and his role has also been acknowledged by the state as an interlocutor, Hun argued that a process conducted under isolation is doomed to stagnate.
“Öcalan’s role as a figure who enjoys broad recognition within Kurdish society and in all four parts of Kurdistan is clear and concrete, shaped by 54 years of struggle. The state has also recognized this by engaging with him. It is clear that this process cannot proceed while Mr. Öcalan remains under isolation or through limited contact. His ideas must directly reach society. He must be able to engage directly with society—with journalists, philosophers, intellectuals, and all interlocutors within the state. The partial isolation imposed on him must be lifted. It is essential and vital that conditions be created in which Mr. Öcalan can work freely, advance the process, and build it,” the MP underlined.
‘A lasting solution can only be achieved through a permanent legal basis’
Recalling that the dialogue process between 2013 and 2015 collapsed due to the lack of a legal framework, Hun stated that a lasting solution can only be achieved through a permanent legal basis:
“All the demands of the Kurdish people must be secured by legal and constitutional guarantees; not through temporary verbal commitments, but through legal and constitutional protection of all rights related to identity and the future. Up to now, everything has been de facto. Talks are being held, delegations are having meetings, the state is engaging—but these talks have no legal status. The same happened in previous processes in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Later, it was as if the process had never existed, because there were no legal guarantees.”
‘Öcalan’s position must be placed within a legal framework’
Pointing out that the guarantee of the process lies in “transparency” and “legal status,” Yılmaz Hun concluded: “For the process to be guaranteed and constructed, Mr. Öcalan’s position must be placed within a legal framework. All the meetings he conducts and the system he builds must be open to the public and transparent, because society embraces this way. The role and mission of Mr. Öcalan are very significant. He is the one building it, and for the process to move forward, he must be able to work more freely and have legal guarantees.”
Leave a Reply