MÊRDÎN – The final declaration of the “Conference of Peoples, Faiths, and Democratic Coexsitence in Mesopotamia” criticized “delaying tactics and pressures for disarmament in Rojava”, describing them as attempts to undermine and obstruct the peace process. 

 

The declaration of the conference, organized by the Democratic Unity Initiative in Mêrdîn (Mardin), was publicly shared in city’s historic Republic Square. Initiative’s co-spokespersons Gulcan Kacmaz Sayyigit and Mehmet Kamac thanked participants for their contributions. The Kurdish version was read by Menice Rumeysa and the Turkish version by Hilmi Aydogu. 

 

The statement said the conference served as a powerful space for reflection on “collective memroy, historical suffering, and lessons fort he present.” It emphasized that peoples of Mesopotamia had endured “a century of massacres, forced displacement, and cultural destruction.”

 

The declaration read: “Kurdistan and all its peoples have faced genocide and assimilation policies for over a century. These policies aimed to depopulate and desolate Kurdistan, leaving deep wounds in our collective life. We must learn from these painful histories.”

 

The conference concluded that the solution lies in “the pas and shared heritage of Mesopotamian peoples,” highlighting that a jsut and democratic future depends on acknowledging historical truths. 

 

‘FORCE OF CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION IS THE PEOPLES OF KURDISTAN’

 

The declaration praised “half a century of struggle for freedom and democracy” in Kurdistan, stating it had created a “modern, organized Kurdish reality” that now inspires hope across the Middle East. 

 

“Kurdistan’s democratic and ecological women’s liberation movement has opened a new era of coexistence,” it said, describing the region’s peoples as “the driving force of change and transformation in the Middle East.”

 

The text also rejected “the homogenizing ideology of the nation-state”, rooted in the Committee of Union and Progress (İttihat-Terakki) mentality, arguing it had “brought neither peace nor justice to Turkey, Kurdistan, nor the region.”

 

“The century-old lose-lose policies of the nation-state have expired. It is time for win-win policies based on democratic coexistence.”

 

‘ÖCALAN’S CALL FOR PEACE IS CRUCIAL’

 

The declaration described Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27, 2025 “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” as “highly significant both for Turkish–Kurdish peace and for its regional and global impact.” It framed the democratic society paradigm as an “ethical-political mode of existence”, emphasizing the leading role of the Kurdish women’s movement in building this new model.

 

‘WE CONDEMN HTS ATTACKS IN ROJAVA’

 

The conference strongly condemned HTS attacks on the neighborhoods of Eşrefiye and Şêx Maqsûd in Aleppo, and on Rojava’s pluralistic communities: “Attempts to replicate sectarian massacres against Alevi and Druze peoples in Rojava were repelled by local defense forces. We denounce these assaults in the strongest terms.”

 

It also rejected the “so-called elections” held in Syria, stating they were “neither inclusive nor legitimate.”

 

‘DELAYING POLICIES AND PRESSURES ON ROJAVA UNDERMINE THE PROCESS’

 

Referring to the recent “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” that had inspired hope and enthusiasm among all communities,” the declaration warned that state “delaying tactics” and pressures on Rojava to disarm” were efforts to sabotage the peace process. “The will of the peoples of Rojava to ensure their own security must not be made a subject of negotiation,” it stated. 

 

‘CALL FOR CONCRETE STEPS TOWARD THE RIGHT TO HOPE’

 

The declaration called on the Turkish government to take the necessary political, legal, and constitutional steps to advance the democratic peace process. It stated, “The risk of stretching the process over time may extinguish social hope. Fort his reason the state must act, above all to guarantee the ‘right to hope’.” 

 

The conference also condemned the October 9 international conspiracy against Abdullah Ocalan and the October 10 Ankara Train Station bombing, reaffirming its commitment to peace, coexistence, and justice for all peoples of the region.