ISTANBUL – Dr Fadıl Bedirhanoğlu said that democratisation is not only a need for Kurds, criticising the state for failing to take concrete steps while the process has advanced through unilateral moves by the Kurdish side.

 

Negotiations aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue are continuing within the framework of the Peace and Democratic Society Process initiated by Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. While the process has so far progressed through steps taken by the Kurdish Freedom Movement, no concrete action has yet come from the state side.

 

Commenting on the process, Dr Fadıl Bedirhanoğlu criticised state officials for repeatedly stating that the process is continuing. He said that an ongoing process should be dynamic and active, adding that the state’s failure to take concrete steps has been negatively received by the public.

 

Bedirhanoğlu stated that the launch of the process stemmed from necessity, but said it had still not become a truly bilateral process. He noted that the state has acted very slowly, while the Kurdish side has now reached a point where it has no further steps left to take. He also stressed that intellectuals should speak out about the process, saying that democracy cannot develop in an environment where intellectuals remain silent.

 

Stating that the state side does not appear fully willing, Bedirhanoğlu recalled that Türkiye could take legal steps toward reform, adding that the absence of such measures reflected a lack of sincerity.

 

Underlining that democratisation is not only a need for Kurds, Bedirhanoğlu said that all peoples in Türkiye are affected by the lack of democracy. He continued: “For that reason, they too need to contribute to this process. Especially circles close to the AKP must now seriously question their own side and their government.”

 

MA / Melik Varol