Support for the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan's historic call made public on 27 February continues to grow. Led by the Mesopotamia Cultural Center (MKM), many artists held a press conference at the MKM building in Istanbul.

The press statement, read by Sakina Jîr in Kurdish and by Engin Cengiz in Turkish, said the following: “We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this process, especially Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, who has brought hope for peace to the peoples under the devastating impact of the wars engulfing the Middle East and our region. We would like to state that we agree with and stand behind the call of the century, which seeks to end 40 years of conflict and paves the way for democratic politics, law and justice. We commemorate with respect and gratitude those who have contributed to our 34 years of culture and arts work and those who have lost their lives for this cause.

The peace efforts made by Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, the chief negotiator of the Kurdish people under the Imrali and isolation system for 26 years, opened the door to the longed-for life for peoples with his call for peace and a democratic society. This new process of democratic change and transformation awaiting us places the most responsibility on us, the intellectuals and artists. We would like to remind once again that artists, who are the voice of society, have the duty and mission to enlighten society. We would like to emphasize once again that we support and stand behind this call.”