Kurdish journalist Melek Avcı of JinNews Agency, who was present yesterday when Abdullah Öcalan’s historic call for peace was read out at a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday, spoke to Medya News in an exclusive interview. She shares exclusive insights into the immediate reactions after the call was read out by People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party MPs Ahmet Türk and Pervin Buldan, and the impact the call has had on Kurdish people in Turkey.
Avcı emphasised that although the Kurdish people show concerns about what will happen next, because they are a people who “have never seen peace”, but that at the same time there is “endless trust in Abdullah Öcalan” and in the initiative he took to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey on the basis of democracy.
Read the full interview, slightly edited for clarity, here:
Can you please introduce yourself?
Hello everyone, I am Melek Avcı from JinNews Agency. I am doing journalistic work.
How was the atmosphere when the call was read and what were the reactions of the audience after the call?
First of all, I would like to start from the first moment when the delegation entered the hall. We were following the statement from the Elite World Hotel and the delegation was greeted with excitement and applause from the first moment when it returned from the İmralı Island and arrived the hotel. I can say that those who were there had arrived in the early hours of the morning and time really did not pass for them.
The delegation went inside for the statement and at that moment the tears of those in the hall started to flow. The moment actually when the speech started, a photograph of Abdullah Öcalan appeared on the screen. He took it together with the delegation and people stood up with applause.
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How important was Öcalan’s message, the first after 26 years, to the Kurdish people in Turkey?
I think seeing that photograph made the struggle that had been going on for years suddenly came to the fore and organised emotion was experienced. Of course, when the call of peace ended, the Kurdish people who longed for peace were worried about what will happen next. Because there has been a war imposed by Turkey for years and we are talking about a people who have never seen peace.
Although this of course creates anxiety, there is endless trust in Abdullah Öcalan. And I can say that the last note which Sırrı Süreyya Önder sent to the delegation reassured the people. They trust Mr. Öcalan and they are with him. But lots of emotional things happened that day, I can say it for sure.
What was the general public reaction and how is the general sentiment in Turkey now?
This call and gathering was described as the call of century. Because when we look, no organisation in history has ever decided to dissolve itself. This requires great dedication and struggle. It was a call that showed how much the people and its leaders value peace. For this reason, let us state that this is not giving up.
It is a stance showing that it is now Turkey’s turn and that it must take steps. Another question, at the moment the whole world is discussing this call. And each segment is making an evaluation from its own standpoint. You can read in many newspapers and see in many TV shows and news. The mainstream media is especially marketing this as a defeat. But the reality is completely different.
Many academics, writers and a large part of the public say that only a real leader can make this call. And we read and hear this from everywhere, everyone. We hear this in Amed [Diyarbakır], Van [Wan], Ankara, Istanbul and in Europe and many, many places there.
Of course, as I said, all segments are concerned about what will happen next. Because there is a transition from a 50-year conflict process to a new era. And this will be a great deal. First, the PKK will convene its own congress and take a decision. Even Mr. Öcalan said this. Then Turkey has a role to play, the parliament has a duty. In other words, it will be a much more difficult struggle. The people must also prepare themselves for this. We have a very long way in front of us.
What next steps need to be taken to ensure that the call can be put into practice?
As I have already stated, Abdullah Öcalan has already said, surely, in practise, the laying down of arms and the PKK itself, this dissolution requires the recognition of democratic politics and its legal dimension. So it’s time for Turkey to take a step.
We can understand this. It’s very clear. The process of formulating answers to questions such as how the weapons will be laid down, what will be the legal basis, will the constitutional rights of the Kurds be recognised, etc.
In particular, there was a call for the establishment of a commission in the parliament. And there is an expectation that this commission will be implemented immediately. And we see there is no step until right now from the government.
We are waiting for this, actually. We are waiting for the parliament and government to take a step and start a solution. That’s another thing I can say.
And, are you hopeful that this call has paved the way to end the conflict and to ensure the peaceful coexistence of the Kurdish and Turkish people?
The last question. Look, Abdullah Öcalan has repeatedly stated that if there is even the slant of hope, hope of peace, it must be held on to. He said this many times from the past until now. He is in the same line. We need to hold on to this hope right now. Of course, it’s necessary to take the process consciously and the steps Turkey needs to take are in front of us.
But I think this should not mean being hopeless. Both for women and Kurds and for this geography where such deep poverty is experienced, the end of the war will benefit everyone. Now we have to be hopeful because the new time is starting for everyone.
