WASHINGTON (AA) – Leading Kurdish politicians criticized the Justice and Development (AK) Party government for failing to meet democratic expectations on Monday.
“On the one hand, Turkey wanted to be one of the role model countries in the Middle East, and wanted to be a regional power […], but without solving their internal problems they could not – they understood that. Since 11 years of AK Party government they understood that without Kurds, without solving the Kurdish question, they could not be a role model country, a democratic country in the Middle East,” said Nazmi Gur, Turkish MP and vice-chair of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in Washington while speaking at a BDP-hosted conference on the future of Kurds in the Middle East.
According to co-chair of the BDP Selahattin Demirtas, the efforts of the Justice and Development Party government to produce an accord with Turkey’s Kurdish minority fell far short of what is needed.
“Unfortunately this past year, that we have been continuing on this dialogue, we have come to see that Turkish state, as well as the AK Party government, is not prepared for this dialogue resolving the issues based on participatory democracy,” he said.
- Kurds positioned to value inclusion
Demirtas contended that historical repression has caused Kurds to emphasize inclusive political systems.
He added, “As Kurdish political parties, given these previous experiences, we know what not to be done in this political struggle,” he said. He further stated, “While we are governing our country, we cannot say that we are the only ethnicity in this country. We cannot say that Kurdistan belongs only to Kurds. We cannot forbid other languages, and cultures in Kurdistan.”
“In unity, plurality should be recognized, and every single element should be recognized in this new model,” he added.
- “Democratization package was really not a democratization package”
Gur added that the recent efforts to foster democratic change within Turkish society as a whole were similarly lackluster.
“Democratization package was really not a democratization package,” said Gur. He added, “[Erdogan] never negotiated this package, not only with the Kurds, but also with the Turkish democratic movements. What he said simply within these packages, that he just have some small steps, as some consider as a positive steps, but in fact will never cause for a deep, fundamental, changes.”
- Syrian Kurds facing mounting difficulties
The hard-won gains of Syria’s Kurds at the Yarubiya border crossing over the weekend come at a tenuous time for Kurds in the Syrian conflict.
Salih Muslim, the co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), spoke to the increasingly dire situation of Syria’s Kurds.
“We are defending our areas alone,” said Muslim, who emphasized that Kurdish groups not only have to confront Assad’s forces, but hardline jihadi groups as well.
Compounding their problems, Muslim said that humanitarian aid is not able to reach Kurdish-controlled areas.
Still, he insisted that Kurdish militants are not simply defending Kurds, but all minority groups in the northeast of Syria. “We are trying to protect this democracy,” Muslim said.
“We are really a democratic model in the Middle East,” said Muslim.
If Syrian Kurds are able to secure Syria’s northern border, Gur contented that Turkey would be safer.
“I do believe that good relation like southern Kurdistan with Rojava people, Rojava administration, will provide peace and security for Turkey. Nine hundred kilometers long borders without any physical barriers… the Kurds will, of course, if they control of this border, it will be a good way for Turkey, for security of Turkey. But they don’t understand that.”
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