Turkey calls PKK leadership article in Washington Post 'hypocrisy'
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorized Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) recent op-ed in a prominent US publication calling for a "political solution of the Kurdish question within Turkey's borders" as "a new and fatal example of hypocrisy."
The Washington Post published an article written by Cemil Bayik, one of the five founding members of the PKK, on Wednesday. The senior leader urged peace, while also acknowledging they have made their own mistakes.
“It is a crisis derived from the bankruptcy of the Turkish republic’s century-old Kurdish policy, a problem that lies at the heart of Turkey’s current domestic, regional and global challenges,” wrote Bayik in his conclusion.
Turkey responded by saying he has "overtly engaged in terrorist propaganda by making use of the Washington Post."
"The aforementioned stance has been capitalized on by PKK as a tool of terrorist propaganda and is in contravention of the sensitivity displayed regarding other terrorist organizations such as DAESH and Al Qaida," the foreign ministry stated.
Ankara also pointed out that the PKK is designated as a "terrorist organization" by many countries including the United States.
"Hence, it constitutes a new and fatal example of hypocrisy in the fight against terrorism," the Turkish statement added.
"We have an opportunity to move a long-standing dispute toward a lasting solution. If we squander this opportunity, it might not come again for a generation," he argued.
He summarized times of peace and conflict between the PKK and Turkish state over the past four decades. Since peace talks stalled on July 20, 2015, both sides have been engaged in violence against the other.
Since then, at least 4,472 people, including security forces, PKK fighters, and civilians have been killed, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).
Still, Bayik admitted that the PKK's "own mistakes" did not resolve the Kurdish question through dialogue with Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).
"In the same way, we should have mobilized pro-democracy forces in the Middle East and around the world to contribute to the democratization of Turkey and the solution of the Kurdish question," he wrote.
The piece was penned as Turkey has intensified operations against perceived PKK targets in Iraq and Syria. In the latter, the PKK-linked Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) faces an uncertain future with Damascus following their defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) group with the support of the US-led international coalition.
The Washington Post published an article written by Cemil Bayik, one of the five founding members of the PKK, on Wednesday. The senior leader urged peace, while also acknowledging they have made their own mistakes.
“It is a crisis derived from the bankruptcy of the Turkish republic’s century-old Kurdish policy, a problem that lies at the heart of Turkey’s current domestic, regional and global challenges,” wrote Bayik in his conclusion.
Turkey responded by saying he has "overtly engaged in terrorist propaganda by making use of the Washington Post."
"The aforementioned stance has been capitalized on by PKK as a tool of terrorist propaganda and is in contravention of the sensitivity displayed regarding other terrorist organizations such as DAESH and Al Qaida," the foreign ministry stated.
Ankara also pointed out that the PKK is designated as a "terrorist organization" by many countries including the United States.
"Hence, it constitutes a new and fatal example of hypocrisy in the fight against terrorism," the Turkish statement added.
Bayik's wide-ranging piece said that "the Turkish state and the Kurdish people" are at a critical moment in their conflict.
"We have an opportunity to move a long-standing dispute toward a lasting solution. If we squander this opportunity, it might not come again for a generation," he argued.
He summarized times of peace and conflict between the PKK and Turkish state over the past four decades. Since peace talks stalled on July 20, 2015, both sides have been engaged in violence against the other.
Since then, at least 4,472 people, including security forces, PKK fighters, and civilians have been killed, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).
Still, Bayik admitted that the PKK's "own mistakes" did not resolve the Kurdish question through dialogue with Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).
"In the same way, we should have mobilized pro-democracy forces in the Middle East and around the world to contribute to the democratization of Turkey and the solution of the Kurdish question," he wrote.
The piece was penned as Turkey has intensified operations against perceived PKK targets in Iraq and Syria. In the latter, the PKK-linked Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) faces an uncertain future with Damascus following their defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) group with the support of the US-led international coalition.
US President Donald Trump has scaled back and slowed down troop withdrawals from the YPG enclave in northeastern Syria, amid warnings by security and military advisors of leaving before the area can stand on its own feet and prevent an ISIS resurgence or evolution.
The YPG deny any organic links to the PKK, which is headquartered in the mountains of Qandil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. At times through its history, the PKK has used Syria as its safe haven under the Assad family’s Baath Party rule.