The parliamentary group deputy chair of the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) criticised Turkey’s latest military invasion into Iraqi Kurdistan at a press conference in the Turkish parliament on Monday.
Meral Danış Bektaş said:
“What’s behind this war is obviously the inability to solve the domestic crisis. They go on with these operations
to conceal the crisis, to make it invisible. I won’t mention the number of previous operations, but I want to say this: This issue, these operations, this war policy, this hostility against the Kurds do not hurt only the Kurds.”
She continued:
“84 million people are experiencing the outcomes of this war in their own lives. First of all, they experience it mentally. Think of a country, where war is an ever continuing policy, where war mongering and the war drums never stop (…) They will continue beating the drums to secure their own existence and power.”
HDP statement: ‘Violation of international law’
The Central Executive Council of HDP also released a statement on Turkey’s latest cross-border military operation, dubbed ‘Claw-Lock’ by Turkish officials.
The statement said.
“The AKP-MHP government has once again resorted to policies of war while risking pushing Turkey towards a disaster. The military offensive ‘Claw-Lock’ does not have legitimacy, and is also in violation of international law. It is a dangerous attempt aimed at the occupation of the Kurdistan Region.”
The statement also addressed other opposition parties in Turkey:
“The most critical issue here is not the government’s hypocritical attitude on peace, but the attitude of those who really seek peace. Those who have opposed the war in Ukraine should not keep silent in the face of military operations that have been launched in the soil of the Kurdistan Region, Those who remain silent in the face of this war will share the responsibility of a growing fascism, increasing poverty, and the strengthening of one man rule in this country.
