The Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party İmralı Delegation announced PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for “Peace and Democratic Society” to the public on February 27. Ayla Akat Ata from the Free Women's Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA) evaluated the call. 

 

Ayla Akat Ata pointed out that the discussions in the last two days have once again revealed how essential a solution to the Kurdish issue is and how much Turkey's society needs it. Ayla Akat Ata emphasized that postponing the solution while all these consequences are obvious will not bring any benefit to the society in Turkey.

 

She added, “In this context, we are living a day when the struggle for existence that has existed for years now meets with the new message coming from İmralı. Of course we are very excited, very emotional. But at the same time, we are creating ourselves as a whole with years of experience and knowledge. Even if we look at the news that has been published in the press today, we can say that there are many reasons to despair. But the most important thing here is not to look at what has happened, but to think about what will happen and to be able to plan and design it. Mr. Öcalan is offering a chance to the Turkish society from İmralı.”

 

Stating that with the new process that has started in Turkey, all segments of society have very important duties. Stressing that the Kurdish issue has a historical background and that 25 years of it has been under the AKP government, Ayla Akat Ata pointed out that there have been discussions on the peaceful solution of the Kurdish issue for more than 30 years. Ayla Akat Ata said that there are many positive examples in the world in terms of conflict and resolution processes and that it is necessary to look at these experiences and said, “We need to draw conclusions from these experiences and put into practice as soon as possible, without repeating what should not be done and without postponing what should be done.” 

 

'THE RECIPE FOR A SOLUTION IS CLEAR'

 

Emphasizing that the prescription for the solution of the Kurdish issue is clear, Ayla Akat Ata stated that whatever the reasons discussed during the solution process in 2015, the same reasons are in question again. 

 

Ayla Akat Ata added, “The process requires all components to act collectively. In other words, regardless of the experiences of conflict and resolution in the world, it is necessary to see that the solution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey imposes this. In the past, when we evaluate the 2019 Oslo process, there was a crisis at the entrance of the Habur Border Gate. Because while one part of the state supported the process, the other mechanism should have organized the trials, releases and acquittals, but the entrance from Habur turned into a crisis. The state did not work collectively.”

 

Ayla Akat Ata stated that the Kurdish people, politics, those imprisoned in prisons and the structures in Europe are more united than ever before regarding Abdullah Öcalan's call and said, “This should be appreciated. This call is for the whole society of Turkey. It is for all components of the people of Turkey. But Kurdish women will make a huge share of this call for their own account. We will be the most important dynamic of this process. We will be the biggest beneficiaries. Because we women are the ones with the real claim to life. This claim to life is a will that says stop to deaths, stop to being ignored, stop to opportunity and denial. Women are a will that has paid a price for this for years and the insistence on life will meet with the call made by Mr. Öcalan.” 

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal