The 12th Extraordinary Congress of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was held simultaneously in two separate areas within the Medya Defense Areas between May 5 and 7.

Bozan Tekin, a delegate at the congress, said: "The first word spoken, the first action taken, the first person to lead, all of this is the result of Abdullah Öcalan’s labor, who laid the foundation for everything. On this basis, I salute Mr. Öcalan’s resistance. I offer my respect and reverence. What is socialism, in essence? Socialism is built on land, it is built within society. If you do not have liberated and protected land, then socialism is just a story, a utopia, especially for Kurdistan, it is nothing more than a tale. And what do they say? ‘The PKK disrupted peace and stability.’ As if there was peace before the PKK! So what was that so-called peace? It was the peace of Turkish state occupation. This is what they call peace. They call domination and the stripping away of people’s will ‘peace’."

Tekin added: "And now, what are they saying? ‘We are freeing ourselves from a 50-year curse.’ They have even labeled this as a ‘Turkey without terror.’ Some things must be deeply reflected upon. These issues came to the fore, and Mr. Öcalan made a very important statement: ‘If the opportunity arises, I can shift this war into the political and legal sphere.’ But only if the necessary conditions are created… Dissolution is a significant step in the political struggle. Yet, military operations are still ongoing.

The European Union was supposedly the stronghold of democracy. Now, right-wing forces are coming to power across Europe, and a fascist atmosphere is spreading with them. The reason is that everyone is preparing for participation in a global war. This is the world we are living in today. Despite everything, unity and defense are vital. A society was built through Mr. Öcalan’s labor, and a cadre structure was formed to lead it. Apoism is a spirit. This spirit did not emerge easily, and it will not be eliminated easily. This spirit will live on, because we carry the names of thousands, tens of thousands of martyrs. Egîd, Zîlan, Bêrîtan, Delal, and Hayri live on. That is why there is no fear, no doubt. In that case, we must prepare ourselves for the organizational model presented by Öcalan, in accordance with the spirit and needs of this era."