ANKARA -  HDP's Sezai Temelli, who held talks in Iraq, stated that Turkey and the imperialist powers stepped up their attacks to destabilize the region, while HDP's Feleknas Uca said, "Everyone agreed that war will not solve the problems."

 

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Deputy Chair of the Foreign Relations Commission Feleknas Uca and Van Deputy Sezai Temelli held talks in Iraq following the attacks on the Federated Kurdistan Region and Shengal. The HDP delegation, which made a 3-day visit in Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah, held a series of meetings with Iraqi President Berhem Salih, Teli Kurds, representatives of the Yazidi community, and representatives of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

 

HDP Deputy Chair Feleknas Uca and HDP Van Deputy Sezai Temelli, who held meetings in Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah, made evaluations to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) regarding the details of the meetings.

THE TOPICS ON THE AGENDA

 

Uca stated that they preferred dialogue against the attacks against their party and Turkey's cross-border operations and that they visited Iraq to talk about these issues. Uca said: "We have held talks in Iraq for a solution to be achieved through dialogue and peace," and stated that they all expressed their attitude towards war resolutions during their meetings with Berhem Salih and the political parties in Iraq.

 

Uca stated that the developments in the Middle East, the situation in Shengal and the attacks carried out by Turkey in the region were on the agenda during the talks. Uca said, "It is very important for us to hold talks at this level in such a period. We think that these talks are an important message for the resolution of the problems in the region through dialogue and peace. As HDP, we will continue our peace talks. For this reason, we will continue our Third Way policy with the forces of democracy."

 

WHO DID THE DELEGATION MEET WITH?

 

Sharing that they met with a delegation from Shengal, the Iraqi Communist Party, Shengal Yazidis, Iraqi parliamentarians and some people who have a counterpart in the society along with Salih, Uca said that their efforts for dialogue will continue from now on. Uca pointed out that the talks were not only about a party or a region, adding, "The HDP has strong relations in the international public opinion. We want to develop these relations in Iraq as well. Therefore, our talks will continue."

 

Pointing out that they held a series of meetings in Sulaymaniyah, Uca said, "We will continue our struggle against war and disintegration. Everyone agreed on the issue of Shengal and that war will not solve the problems. They said that these problems should be solved through dialogue. We think that these talks are very valuable and we are sure that there will be a positive outcome from these talks."

 

CONVENTIONAL WAR

 

HDP's Temelli reminded that the purpose of their visit was the attacks against Federated Kurdistan and Shengal and stated that they made a visit to meet with the Iraqi President and the highest officials. Noting that it is not possible to define what happened in the region as an operation or a conflict, Temelli said that it was an intense war and many conventional war vehicles, including chemical weapons, were used. Emphasizing that the most prominent field of struggle in politics against such a war is the struggle against war, Temelli said, “Because the destruction brought by the war causes almost the same destruction for all societies. The common struggle and common stance of the peoples of the region against the war can create a huge political movement. That's what we were aiming for."

 

'THEY ARE TRYING TO DESTABILIZE THE REGION'

 

Explaining that Iraqi President Berhem Salih also expressed his opinion that the region should be freed from war, Temelli said, "He said that the only solution not only for his people, but also for the peoples of Syria and Turkey, is peace. We said that as long as the Kurdish issue is not resolved, it is not possible to bring peace and democracy to the Middle East. This war is not something simply defined as a conflict. He stated that Turkey and the imperialist powers should be dealt with as a destabilizer in the region. He also added that Turkey started this operation in pursuit of global financial policies.

 

'THE REAL ISSUE IS THE KURDISH QUESTION'

 

Pointing out that Turkey increased its attacks on the region using its NATO membership as an advantage after the Ukraine war, Temelli said: "Turkey which presented itself as a peace ambassador in Ukraine is a war baron. This war brings serious destruction, poverty and misery to the people of the region and also in Iraq. The fact that this region has been so destabilized and stuck in a chaotic political climate is also blocking the solution processes. The main issue is the Kurdish Question. As long as the approach of the regional countries and imperialist powers to the Kurdish question is focused on the deadlock, it is not possible for the wars to end in the region. When we look at Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq, it is clear that the Kurdish question remains a deadlock and it prevents peace being established in the region."

 

'STATUS OF FEDERATED KURDISTAN AT RISK'

 

Explaining that the Iraqi President is also against the occupation policies carried out in the region, Temelli says that this is not only an attack on the territorial integrity of Iraq, but also an intervention that makes the political instability in Iraq permanent. He stated that the only way for Iraq to achieve political stability is Turkey's withdrawal from the Federated Kurdistan Region. He said that this is a prerequisite for ensuring stability in the Federated Kurdistan Region. Today, there is a party in Federated Kurdistan that affirms this war. This war itself is the main source of problems for Southern Kurdistan. Berham Salih also expressed that the status of Federated Kurdistan Region is at risk. He said that this was not an issue that can be overlooked  regarding the demands Turkey has made, but as long as this aggression continues, the South's status is at risk and the current conflict environment in Iraq will become permanent."

 

'KURDISTAN IS A VERY CRITICAL GEOGRAPHY'

 

Temelli also drew attention to the energy lines, which gained importance once again after the Russia-Ukraine war, and said, “Kurdistan is again the critical geography in the global energy policies of the coming period. Just as the transfer of oil is important, now natural gas has this importance. There are projects to ensure the transfer of natural gas to the Eastern Mediterranean and to reach Europe via Turkey or Cyprus, Greece. The control of these lines causes chaos and unstability. Turkey wants these lines as well as Europe wants these lines. The only way to be independent from Russia after the war in Ukraine is the natural resources in the region. This is what they think."

 

'PEOPLE IN IRAQ WANTS THE LAW TO BE PRESERVED'

 

Explaining that there are also reactions and criticisms towards the KDP's policies in the region, Temelli said: "The communities in Iraq want to protect the existing law. There are certain rights that have been acquired at great cost. There is a policy that regulates social life. Iraq is also facing an attack on the liquidation of politics. Kurds in Iraq agree that the status of Federated Kurdistan is an important gain and that the KDP poses a risk for this gain. Every structure, person, journalist, intellectual and politician we talked to underlined that Turkey will not stop if it insists on its policy and receives support, and that this will pose a risk for the Federated Kurdistan. This is the biggest conflict between the PUK and the KDP." 

 

TURKEY USES PKK AS AN EXCUSE

 

Underlining that along with the economic dimension of the war, there is a political dimension, Temelli said: "One of the most important issues is the scenario that Turkey constantly puts forward. Turkey says they are fighting the PKK. The people we spoke to there says there is no PKK there. There are criticisms about how the KDP cooperates with Turkey against such an absurd scenario. This is where the biggest reaction comes. There is serious poverty in Iraq. Everyone is seriously disturbed by this situation. Turkey causes serious instability in the Federated Kurdistan."

 

'KURDS HAVE BECOME AN IMPORTANT FORCE IN THE REGION'

 

Stating that they also saw important signs of Kurdish national unity, Temelli concluded his words as follows: “We are in such a period that Kurdish Unity is becoming the main agenda. We will see the aftermath of this very soon. The center of politics is shifting to Baghdad in the Middle East. It will grow stronger. Kurds are becoming an important force and actor in the global politics. I can also say that a strong energy has accumulated in the focus of liberal, egalitarian and democratic policies against imperialist powers. Especially the next 10 years will be critical and decisive. The rebirth of the politics in the world will be where this whole mass started. The Middle East. And Kurds will lead this resistance."

 

 

 

MA / Berivan Altan - Müjdat Can