DEM Party commission members: Meeting with Öcalan necessary for lasting peace

2025-09-25 15:01:26


	 

	ANKARA - Making a statement on the work of the commission and presenting their suggestions, Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party members of the commission said: "Listening to Abdullah Öcalan by the commission should be considered as a necessity for the permanent solution of the problem." 

	 

	Members of the DEM Party, National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission made a written statement regarding the work carried out by the commission so far. 

	 

	The statement, which reminded that the Commission has been continuing its activities since 5 August, said: "The Commission was established with the aim of establishing the legal and political ground that will contribute to the democratic and peaceful solution of the Kurdish issue. We would like to reiterate that we find it extremely valuable that political parties representing almost all of the people's will are represented in the Commission around one of the most fundamental problems of the Republic. This political will has brought the political institution and the field, which should have a historical role in the solution of the issue, closer to the interlocutor of the solution at this level for the first time."

	 

	'THE COMMISSION MUST PLAY ITS ROLE IN THE PARLIAMENTARY'

	 

	Pointing out that the process stands out with its unique characteristics and that historical calls and developments have been realised within this framework, the statement said: "Public expectation for the Commission to play its role on the parliamentary ground is high. While we know that the Commission is not the addressee of everything, we are also aware that if it plays its role correctly and functionally, it will have a contribution that will open the door to historical developments."

	 

	 RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COMMISSION

	 

	The statement listed the following recommendations:

	 

	"* The first phase of the commission's work is being completed and the end of the hearings is approaching. We would like to reiterate that we find the thoughts and suggestions of people and organisations from different circles on peace and solution extremely valuable. For our party, the main output of the listening phase is the inevitability of a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. Even though their references and bases were different, what was expressed in the Commission once again demonstrated the historical necessity of a solution to the Kurdish issue.

	 

	* Many organisations and individuals have stated that the transition of the process to a positive peace phase is at least as important as the negative peace phase, which is considered as a state of non-conflict. We find the findings that came to the fore during the hearings, such as the need for 'the establishment of justice, the building of social trust, the institutionalisation of equality, the clear will of different identities to live together equally and in peace' for positive peace; that an environment of trust 'can be achieved through the principle of reciprocity'; the importance of 'eliminating the root causes', considering that the problem 'cannot be compressed only to the dimension of the armed movement'; that 'lasting peace cannot be achieved only through security policies'; and that 'rejection, denial and assimilation policies should be abandoned' very valuable. We underline that the Commission should make use of these suggestions that came to the fore during the hearings in its future work.

	 

	* It is the right thing to develop a permanent solution by addressing the problem with its political, cultural, social and economic dimensions. With the awareness that the issue has gained a regional and global character, the Commission should listen to Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, who has a clear organisational, political and social response and level of determination, as a necessity for the permanent solution of the issue. The real solution lies in calling the problem by its name and thinking and taking steps according to the truth without bending and twisting the truth according to the side we are on. The Commission's listening to Mr Öcalan is of decisive importance for the successful conclusion of the current process.

	 

	* With the opening of the Parliament, the first phase, which we can characterise as the political and social phase, will be replaced by the second phase, which we define as the legal phase. The Commission's raison d'être is to formulate recommendations and drafts for the legislative arrangements required by the process. Since the beginning of the process, the relevant committees of our party have been preparing the necessary amendments to the Transitional Period Law, the Law on Execution of Sentences, the Anti-Terror Law, the Turkish Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code; the empowerment and democratisation of local governments, especially the trustee regulation; anti-discrimination regulations and education in mother tongue. With the opening of the new legislative year, the most fundamental task of the second phase is for the parties that are members of the Commission to present concrete proposals on the relevant topics and to work on these proposals with the aim of commonisation. This is because one of the most important steps towards the permanent elimination of the grounds for conflict is the establishment of law and equality before the law.

	 

	* On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in its resolution of 17 September 2025, referred to the Peace and Democratic Society Process and pointed to the duties of the Commission and the parliament regarding the 'right to hope'. In an environment where the Committee of Ministers points to the relevant political and legal steps in Turkey, taking the steps required by the process in the context of the right to hope, taking initiatives and accepting this as a principle will be one of the most vital developments for a just, equal, democratic and social solution to the Kurdish issue.

	 

	* Within the scope of the Commission's activities, our main aim as DEM Party is to create opportunities for a legal and political solution to the Kurdish issue by removing it from the ground of conflict. It is inevitable that the Kurdish issue should be handled with a democratisation perspective and the transformation of mentality that this requires. As an academic stated during the hearings, 'Not every peace may result in democracy, but democracy will not come to Turkey until the Kurdish issue is resolved'."