In a historic conference held in the city of Lausanne over the weekend, 600 Kurdish delegates convened to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne. The delegates made a resolute joint statement outside the iconic building in Lausanne Ouchy, where the treaty negotiations took place a century ago, declaring their steadfast refusal to accept the Treaty, which was signed without the consent of the Kurdish People.
The joint statement, read out to the public, strongly emphasised the Kurdish People’s right to self-determination and their ongoing struggle to assert their legitimate rights. The conference had been attended by representatives from Kurdish parties, organisations, academics, legal experts, intellectuals, religious figures, and various ethnic groups, and highlighted the repercussions of the Treaty of Lausanne, which have affected the Kurdish population for generations.
During the conference, the Kurdish delegates made several recommendations for both the international community and the region of the divided Kurdistan, aiming to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue through dialogue. Among the key recommendations for the international arena were calls for international intergovernmental organisations to support the demands of the Kurdish people for self-determination and the establishment of an international commission including Kurdish representatives, under the auspices of the United Nations to engage with the parties of the Treaty of Lausanne.
The conference delegates also urged efforts to grant observer status to Kurdish representatives at the United Nations and to hold states accountable for crimes committed against the Kurdish people during the past century. Measures to prevent air strikes against Kurdistan, particularly in Rojava, were also proposed, including the declaration by the UN Security Council of a ‘No-Fly Zone’.
On the regional level, the delegates called for the official recognition of the Kurdish regions divided up within the borders of Turkey and Syria as Kurdistan, with their own self-determined status within those countries. They also stressed the importance of reinforcing political, economic, social and cultural ties between the different Kurdish regions to foster unity and cooperation.
The final declaration of the Lausanne Conference:
Recommendations for the International Arena:
1. International intergovernmental organisations should support the demands of the Kurdish people for self-determination in the countries where Kurdistan was divided.
2. An international commission including Kurdish representatives should be established under the auspices of the United Nations to engage with the parties of the Treaty of Lausanne and find peaceful solutions to the Kurdish issue through dialogue.
3. Efforts should be made to grant observer status to Kurdish representatives at the United Nations.
4. Efforts should be made to hold the states that divided Kurdistan accountable before an international court for their crimes against the Kurdish People.
5. The establishment of a Joint National Kurdish Council to carry out diplomatic efforts at the international level.
6. The states that perpetrated genocide and massacres against the Kurdish people during the 100 years of the Treaty of Lausanne should compensate the Kurdish people for their actions. They should provide guarantees that such crimes will never be repeated and support the prohibition and punishment of international crimes.
7. Measures should be taken at the international level to prevent air strikes against Kurdistan, particularly in Rojava. A ‘No-Fly Zone’ should be declared by the UN Security Council, and Kurdish forces and international peacekeeping forces should ensure security along the Rojava-Turkey border.
8. The European Court of Human Rights should exert pressure on the Turkish government to fulfill its promises regarding non-Muslim minorities without discrimination.Recommendations for Kurdistan:
1. The preservation and advancement of Kurdistan’s national interests should be prioritised above personal and political interests.
2. Efforts should be made to avoid internal political conflicts, and initiatives should be taken to resolve internal contradictions.
3. Kurdistan regions should not interfere in each other’s internal affairs, and the political administrations of South Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region of Iraq] and Rojava Kurdistan [North and East Syria] should work towards removing all barriers and establish political, economic, social and cultural ties.
4. The establishment of a Kurdistan National Unity with the participation of all national dynamics.
5. A call to the Kurdish leadership and pioneers to fulfill their national duties without making excuses, establish a Kurdistan Grand Alliance and convene a Kurdistan National Conference for this purpose.Recommendations for the region where Kurdistan was divided:
1. The Kurdish regions divided within the borders of Turkey and Syria should be officially recognised as Kurdistan and accepted with their own self-determined status within Turkey and Syria.
2. Kurdistan’s autonomous status should be officially represented within the United Nations.
3. An international commission including Kurdish representatives should be established under the supervision of the United Nations to engage with the parties of the Treaty of Lausanne, create opportunities for peaceful solutions through dialogue, and implement those solutions.
4. A coordinating commission should be established to implement the conference’s recommendations.
5. The establishment of an expert commission to work on joint Kurdish diplomacy.
6. A powerful and united effort should be made to achieve Kurdish representation at the United Nations.
7. A committee or expert commission should be formed to follow up on the conclusions of the conference and put them into practice.
8. Efforts should be made to establish diplomatic relations with the states other than the Republic of Turkey that were signatories to the Treaty of Lausanne, to seek redress for historical injustices and alleviate the sufferings of the Kurdish people and Kurdistan.
9. Activities should be undertaken to create an alternative international treaty.
10. The European Court of Human Rights should press Turkey to unconditionally release all political hostages and detainees, especially the Leader of the KCK [Koma Civakên Kurdistanê – Kurdistan Communities Union], Mr Abdullah Öcalan.
11. The United Nations should deploy a peacekeeping force between Rojava and Turkey.
12. The United Nations should establish an office for Kurdish representation within its framework.
