Tülay Hatimoğulları, an Arab Alawite member of the Green Left Party, has commented on the statement released by the National Security Council (NSC) of Turkey following its first meeting after the May elections chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 8 June.
In an interview with Medya Haber TV on Sunday, Hatimoğulları expressed her concerns regarding the statement, highlighting the absence of any indication towards a peaceful and democratic resolution to the Kurdish issue.
She directed her criticism towards the second and third articles of the statement, which justify Turkey’s controversial cross-border operations by citing border security and national security concerns.
The second and third articles list the Democratic Union Party (PYD) a Kurdish political party based in Syria actively engaged in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), and its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), among the “terrorist organisations” that pose a threat and danger to Turkey’s “national unity, solidarity, and survival.” The statement further emphasises that the elimination of terrorist organizations is necessary for preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and establishing lasting peace and stability.
