A section of the statement, addressed to “the honourable members of the initiative ‘Defend Kurdistan,'” recognises that “in this very important historical phase, dark clouds are hovering over the future of the Kurdish people. You have recognized this danger and have taken all risks to reach South Kurdistan. That is, to the place where the danger is currently the greatest. There you have organized numerous protests and events and launched the initiative ‘Defend Kurdistan’. We consider all this very valuable and attach great significance to it. Therefore, on behalf of the Freedom Guerrilla of Kurdistan, we would like to congratulate you on your honourable stance and respectfully greet you full of revolutionary enthusiasm.
“From a total of fourteen different European countries, you have come together with patriots from all four parts of Kurdistan as internationalists who are leading a struggle for law, justice and human rights and have launched this initiative. This step is very meaningful and valuable for our people and the democratic forces in the region”.
The People’s Defence Centre Headquarters statement recognises the Defend Kurdistan Initiative’s significant act of trying “to prevent an inner-Kurdish conflict. In this context, when you entered South Kurdistan, the way the regional authorities encountered you” – i.e. the manner in which they sought to restrict and halt the movement and plans of the delegation – “is in no way compatible with our people`s tradition of hospitality.”
The statement further addressed “friends” and “comrades” with the following message: “Kurdistan is facing great dangers. Since 2015, all the racist, chauvinist and murderous veins of the Turkish state have united. The result is the AKP-MHP-Ergenekon ruling coalition that has been in power since then. There is only one issue that unites these three forces: hostility towards all Kurds and the implementation of a genocidal policy in Kurdistan. With this aim, the Turkish government is waging an all-out war against the existence and achievements of our people. This fascist gang regime today enjoys the support of all the forces that organized the International Conspiracy against our Leader. In order to achieve its goal, the regime uses massive violence and state terror against all our comrades in prisons – especially on the prison island of Imrali -, against our people and all democratic political forces. The Turkish state is using all its technical means of destruction and also chemical weapons to crush our guerrilla forces – the defense force of our society – and to finally achieve its goal.”
NPG Central Command: ‘The Turkish regime is currently trying to provoke an internal Kurdish conflict’
The People’s Defence Centre Headquarters added: “In this war, which is waged with totally unequal means, the Turkish state has failed to achieve results in the face of the legitimate and determined resistance of our people and their defense forces. The fascist and genocidal Turkish regime started its all-out attacks on South Kurdistan on 23 April, aiming at occupying the region. However, it has encountered the unique resistance of our guerrilla forces since then and has therefore stalled.
“In order to overcome this situation, the Turkish regime is currently trying to provoke an internal Kurdish conflict. This is in line with the tactic of conquering the castle from within. By destroying the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla, the fascist, genocidal Turkish regime wants to completely occupy South Kurdistan and to stabilize the fascist regime in Turkey in the long run. Its goal is to become a regional power within the framework of its neo-Ottoman dreams.”
The People’s Defence Centre Headquarters drew attention to the significance of its resistance at a local and global level: “The fascist regime also relies on the al-Qaeda and IS (Islamic State) gangs it has recruited and organised. If it achieves its goals, it will most certainly become an even greater threat to the peoples of the Middle East and Europe. Therefore, the struggle of the guerrilla against the fascist Turkish state is not only of great importance for the survival and freedom of the Kurdish people, but also for the democratic future of all the peoples of the region and all the peoples of the world.”
NPG Central Command: ‘There is no problem that cannot be solved through intra-Kurdish dialogue’
Emphasizing the significance it places in intra-Kurdish dialogue, the international Defend Kurdistan Initiative and the struggle against a “brutal fascist regime,” the People’s Defence Centre Headquarters concluded by stating that “our struggle is basically a struggle for the existence and freedom of the Kurdish people … We want to live as a society in an equal, free, democratic and contemporary way. With this goal, we have organised ourselves as women and men based on the paradigm developed by Önder Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] and built a self-defense force against the terror of the Turkish state. We are currently waging a vital and historic resistance against the Turkish army, its Islamist mercenaries and a brutal fascist regime that has the most modern war technology at its disposal.
“Waging a defense struggle against these attacks, starting a war with another force only five kilometres behind the current front line, would simply be unthinkable for us. Moreover, such a decision would be completely illogical. Especially at the current stage, we consider an intra-Kurdish war to be a disaster.
“Unfortunately, the current deployment of other forces in the region ensures that such a war can occur at any time. In an era when even the most difficult problems can be solved through dialogue, an intra-Kurdish war would represent nothing but backwardness and primitiveness for a poor and oppressed people like us.
“Therefore, we as the PKK and as the self-defense forces of our people firmly believe that all problems must be solved through dialogue. There is no problem that cannot be solved through intra-Kurdish dialogue. This means that there are no unsolvable problems between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and us either. The only problem in this context is the aggressive attitude of fascist Turkish colonialism, the unrest created among the Kurds and the wrong policy of the KDP. Therefore, we are very open to solve all our problems through talks on the basis of national and democratic values and thus foil the vicious activities of the Turkish state.
“In this context, we would like to inform all patriotic-democratic institutions, international civil society circles and you valuable friends that we are ready to make any effort that you expect. It constitutes no problem for us to consider talks and a fair attitude as fundamental for the solution of all problems.
“We are convinced that only on this basis and through national and social unity can we build a free future in our country, committed to women’s freedom and democratic values. And we strongly believe that your contributions are of great significance for this cause … We would like to express once again that we welcome your efforts as members of the initiative ‘Defend Kurdistan.'”
