Kurdistan
Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan (left) and Rudaw Research Center logo (right). Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), delivered a speech to a conference organized by Rudaw Research Center in Erbil on Monday, calling on Kurds to “unite on democratic grounds” and integrate into states that offer them “democratic society-based” ties.
“My preference is for Kurds to be in integration and solidarity with states that provide them with the opportunity for democratic society-centered relations. I define this as ‘democratic society-based integration.’ I base the process we are currently conducting on this principle and believe it will be successful,” Ocalan said in a written message read out by PKK-Ankara peace process mediator Mithat Sancar at Rudaw Research Center’s conference on the latest peace process between Ankara and the PKK.
Titled "Turkey's Difficult Peace: PKK's Disarmament and Political Turning Points in an Unstable Geopolitical Situation,” the conference aims to conduct a discussion on the dynamics of the PKK's recent disarmament decision and changes in Turkey's domestic politics.
“In my view, relations among Kurds should also be in the form of democratic-based unity. I call on all Kurds to come together and unite on democratic grounds,” added Ocalan in his speech.
Reacting to the conference’s title, Ocalan said it "accurately reflects reality,” adding, “We have seen repeatedly through painful experiences over the past forty years that peace in Turkey is an elusive possibility and situation. This time too, we have ‘grasped with difficulty’ the opportunity for peace, but we are making efforts with all our strength and sensitivity to bring it to fruition.”
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially sought to establish an independent Kurdish state but later shifted its focus to pursuing broader political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.
The peace process, which Ankara describes as Terror-Free Turkey, was reignited in October after veteran Turkish politician Devlet Bahceli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for Ocalan to be allowed to address the Turkish parliament and declare the PKK’s dissolution.
In the following months, Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) took the lead in mediation efforts, holding several meetings with Ocalan. These efforts culminated in May, when the PKK officially declared its dissolution and an end to its four-decade-long armed campaign. The announcement followed Ocalan’s appeal in February, calling for a democratic and political resolution to a conflict that has claimed nearly 40,000 lives.
As a symbolic gesture of goodwill, the first group of PKK fighters publicly set fire to their weapons in a ceremony held in Iraq’s Sulaimani province in early July.
Later that month, the Turkish parliament responded by forming a special commission tasked with charting a course toward lasting peace between Ankara and the PKK. The commission includes representatives from all major political parties, including the DEM Party, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The following is Ocalan’s full speech to the conference:
Dear participants,
I greet you all with respect.
I congratulate the Rudaw Research Center for organizing this conference and especially for choosing the title "Turkey's Difficult Peace." This title accurately reflects reality. We have seen repeatedly through painful experiences over the past forty years that peace in Turkey is a difficult possibility and situation. This time too, we have ‘grasped with difficulty’ the opportunity for peace, but we are making efforts with all our strength and sensitivity to bring it to fruition.
If this process in Turkey succeeds, the fate of the entire Middle East will change; a new era will begin where wars and destruction are replaced by a democratic life based on peace.
My preference is for Kurds to be in integration and solidarity with states that provide them with the opportunity for democratic society-centered relations. I define this as ‘democratic society-based integration.’ I base the process we are currently conducting on this principle and believe it will be successful.
In my view, relations among Kurds should also be in the form of democratic-based unity. I call on all Kurds to come together and unite on democratic grounds.
I wish your conference success and convey my most sincere greetings and respect.
Abdullah Ocalan
Imrali Island
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