The Turkish state and terrorist guerrillas PKK have been fighting against each other for decades. Tens of thousands of lives have been harvested. Now there is a conversation about ending the conflict. Politicians affiliated with the Procurdish party they follow the development meticulously.
– If this happens, the Kurdish population will gain tremendously on this. Not being Kurds but everyone in Turkey, says Saruhan Oluç, parliamentarians, to TV4.
The last time peace talks were the current negotiations in 2015 and intensive battles broke out between the parties. But last fall, there was an unexpected handshake from Ultranationalist party leader Devlet Bahçeli, who is in a coalition with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party AKP. He unexpectedly handed out a hand to a pro -cure politician and opened for a dialogue. This has led to PKK’s founder Abdullah Öcalan having met representatives of them and relatives, very rare since he was imprisoned in 1999.
Want to change the constitution
According to Paul Levin, head of the Institute for Turkey Studies, there are several reasons why this is happening now.
– Perhaps the most important reason is domestic political. Erdogan wants to change the constitution for various reasons, not least to be able to remain for another term. Then he needs support from a pro-Kurdish party. Then it is part of some kind of deal that they get relief and an end to the armed in the conflict. The second reason, I would think, has to do with the risk that external actors, such as Israel, can use PKK and its Syrian branch, YPG, PYD, the Kurdish military in northern Syria, as a kind of proxy actor. And Turkey wants to prevent that, he says.
At the same time, the Turkish government has continued to break down on Kurdish politicians in Turkey and threaten a military operation in northeastern Syria, which sends double signals about the peace talks.
Saruhan Oluç, parliamentarians them, is worried that the Turkish government promises things they do not intend to keep.
– There is a risk that they will not take the steps promised in the conversations.
Can become a new era
Now it is speculated that PKK’s founder will soon make video recorded speech from prison with a message about the future. In this case, it can change the situation in both Turkey and Syria.
– We do not know exactly when but that the approach has been made. In that case, a new era begins, in that case it will be a historical speech, says Saruhan Oluç, parliamentarians, to TV4.