A senior Kurdish politician has said that escalating conflicts in the Middle East are sending a clear message to Turkey: resolve internal disputes through peace and democratic reform. Speaking to Mezopotamya Agency’s Melik Çelik on Friday, Meral Danış Beştaş, co-spokesperson for the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), urged the Turkish government to respond to growing calls—both domestically and internationally—for a peaceful settlement to the country’s long-standing Kurdish issue.
Beştaş said the HDK, a pro-Kurdish and pro-democracy civil platform, has stepped up its efforts since the start of the year, organising public meetings, international conferences, and dialogue forums. These initiatives followed a public statement in February by Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned Kurdish leader and founding figure of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), calling for a renewed democratic peace process. The PKK, which had waged a decades-long armed insurgency against the Turkish state, recently announced its dissolution as an armed group.
“In the face of the region’s instability, Turkey is being told: solve your internal problems,” said Beştaş. “One of the country’s greatest needs is peace.”
The country’s unresolved conflict with its Kurdish population—who have long demanded cultural recognition, language rights, and political inclusion—saw peace negotiations break down in 2015. In the years that followed, there were mass arrests of Kurdish politicians, violent crackdowns in the southeast, and the imposition of government-appointed “trustees” in place of elected Kurdish mayors—a practice widely criticised for undermining local democracy and Kurdish political representation.
Beştaş said many citizens are still traumatised by this history. “People express deep mistrust—not in the peace process, but in the government,” she said. “They remember what happened after the 2015 elections: bombings, mass arrests, cancelled results, jailed MPs. That memory shapes today’s fears.”
Following the June 2015 general election—when the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) entered parliament in force, stripping the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of its majority—the government rapidly shifted its stance. Rather than pursue coalition-building or further peace negotiations, it adopted a security-first approach that effectively re-securitised the Kurdish question. Within weeks, clashes resumed between Turkish forces and Kurdish fighters, and major attacks—including the Suruç and Ankara bombings—shook public confidence. The state launched sweeping military operations in Kurdish-majority cities, imposed curfews, and framed the conflict increasingly through counter-terrorism rhetoric. The climate of instability paved the way for a snap election in November 2015, where the AKP regained its parliamentary majority. For many Kurdish citizens, this sequence of events signalled that democratic gains would not be tolerated, and that political opposition could be met with state violence and mass incarceration.
Despite this, she said the HDK believes peace must be grounded in democratic change. “We fight for justice and rights for all. You can’t have peace without democracy,” she said, noting that the PKK’s decision to disband signals an opportunity to address root causes.
Beştaş also criticised Turkey’s increasingly polarised political climate, where dissent is often criminalised. “Opposition figures, journalists, and activists are frequently prosecuted,” she said. “Even mainstream columnists are not immune. This is about silencing demands for justice.”
Looking ahead, she welcomed plans to establish a parliamentary commission focused on resolving the Kurdish issue. A cross-party initiative is under discussion in the Grand National Assembly, and Beştaş said its success will depend on political will. “We expect it to be shaped in July. There’s no major party against it, except one,” she said, referring to the nationalist Good Party (İYİ Party). “But the real work will be convincing society to support this process.”
She added that any peace effort must include legal and constitutional reforms—such as ending harsh anti-terror laws, recognising mother-tongue education, decentralising governance, and ensuring judicial independence.
Turning to the wider region, Beştaş said recent unrest—from Israel’s war in Gaza to Iran’s execution of Kurdish activists—shows how urgently the Middle East needs democratic transformation. “We support neither Iran nor Israel. We support democratic values,” she said. “There’s a false claim that Kurds side with Israel. That’s untrue. We represent a third way—independent, democratic, and people-focused.”
Beştaş concluded by emphasising that real peace will come not just from negotiations between elites, but from inclusive participation. “The people must be involved. Everyone has a place at this table,” she said. “Without public consent, there can be no lasting solution.”
