Öcalan: Kurds Cannot Exist Without Turks, Turks Cannot Exist Without Kurds

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan met with his attorneys Rezan Sarıca and Nevroz Uysal at the İmralı prison on June 12.

The Asrın Law Bureau released a statement after the meeting, delivering Öcalan's opinions on the recently ended hunger strikes in prisons and the political situation of the country, the Mezopotamya Agency reported.

Öcalan offered his good wishes to the hunger strikers, who protested what they call "the isolation on Öcalan" in prisons between November 2018 and May 2019, the law bureau said.

Hunger strikes ended last month after Öcalan met with his lawyers for the first time since 2011.

"Mr. Öcalan firstly sent thanks and greetings to hunger strike and death fast protesters who ended the hunger strikes and death fasts upon a call by himself; he shared his letter of thanks to be delivered to them.

"In the meeting with Mr. Öcalan, these topics came out to the forefront: He repeated the emphasis that strikes can be in question but they should not be adopted as a primary method of struggle. He defined his position as the defense of life against death.

"Democratic politics is essential"

"Mr. Öcalan said that as a historical indicator, Kurds cannot exist without Turks and Turks cannot exist without Kurds and that as soon as Kurds are finished in Mesopotamia, there will be nothing left in the name of Turks in Anatolia.

"He emphasized that the existence and development of the Kurds is synonymous with the empowerment of the Turks. He also stated that this togetherness will pave the way for all the peoples of the Middle East to live in democracy and peace.

"We saw that he prioritizes the democratic solution in terms of the constitutional solution and legal modifications. He stated that the democratic transition and mentality can only be ensured with the participation of the whole society.

"He said that he observes ideological and theoretical loopholes in the current way of politics; it is not possible to do politics in a right way through nepotism, tribalism and clanism; and what is essential and analytical is the democratic politics."

"HDP should be a catalyst"

Öcalan also made remarks on women's struggle, saying that the slavery of women which has been the absolute form of slavery since 15 thousand years became a part of the "social genetics," the Asrın Law Bureau noted.

"He said that he views the existence of each of femicides, social, economic and sociological problems as a reason for revolution and he views the existence of the problem of child brides as a reason for 10 revolutions."

"With regards to solutions for social problems, he mentioned the need for the democratic municipalism which is based on production, creativity and construction should be developed and underpinned that the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) should act as a catalyst for democracy." (EMK/VK)