The ‘European Forum for Freedom and Peace’, founded by academics, journalists, writers, artists and politicians from Turkey and Kurdistan (some in exile), held an international peace conference in Berlin over the weekend. The group defines itself as a movement against the ‘undeclared global war’.

The international conference was held at the Mercure Hotel and dealt with global conflicts and aimed at promoting dialogue, tackling war crimes and supporting peace efforts. The event focused on the current wars in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Palestine and Kurdistan. One focus was the Kurdish question and the isolation of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in Turkish custody. The forum emphasised that peace, freedom, democracy and dialogue are needed more urgently than ever in today's divided world.

Latife Akyüz shared the following information about the sessions held at the conference:

"Peace has gained a brand-new societal identity far beyond the empty handshake of states.

On September 1st, World Peace Day, the European Forum for Freedom and Peace (EFFP) gathered in Berlin to promote international solidarity against the ever-increasing wars plaguing the world.

The forum drew attention to the violent alliances of states in all the wars dominating our current headlines, from Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Kurdistan, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Artsakh, Sudan, Western Sahara, East Turkestan, Tamil Eelam, and West Papua – all of which seem disconnected but first, but upon deeper reflection share many common variables. Consequently, the conference drew attention to the fact that the struggle for peace against the war alliances maintained by states and their weapons industries needs to be internationalized.

On the first day of our two-day conference, international experiences on the struggle for peace were shared. Panelists from Colombia, Palestine, South Africa, the Philippines, Ireland, and Iceland shared their experiences of peace processes in their respective countries.

This allowed speakers to highlight striking similarities between each other’s struggles and the state-based policies of war each of them faces. As such, they each highlighted how the various states they suffer under veil their massacres in silence and suffocate any proposals for peace.

Yet, they were undeterred and hopeful, powerfully expressing their proposals for peace and international solidarity amidst the climate of hopelessness that the aggressor states are trying to foster. One such proposal discussed was the absolute necessity of establishing a system to monitor war crimes in each country. 

In the second and third panels, the experiences of Turkey and Kurdistan were discussed in detail.

The details of the Turkish state’s policy of total isolation against Mr. Abdullah Öcalan on Imrali Island prison were presented. It was stated that the isolation policy aims to destroy not only the personal existence of the Kurdish people’s leader Öcalan, but also the idea of peace and the peoples’ dreams of freedom. The fact that demanding Öcalan’s freedom is closely intertwined with the Kurdish peoples’ demand for peace was emphasized. Moreover, these panels looked at why the previous peace talks in Oslo between Turkey and the PKK ultimately failed and the necessity of restarting them in conjunction with Mr. Öcalan’s release.

The panelists, who were direct witnesses to the Oslo process, gave concrete examples of how the Turkish state was never sincere, and thus never took the steps it should have taken to compel the PKK to lay down their arms in a just roadmap for truth and reconciliation.

Moreover, the Turkish state’s attempt to strangle the Rojava revolution by supporting jihadist gangs (such as ISIS), especially while the talks in Imrali continued, became the last straw. The panelists also emphasized that history will not repeat itself and that the re-establishment of the peace table is only possible with the lessons learned from Oslo. It was emphasized that since the strategic-ideological position of the Turkish state has changed, a new process must now be established for the next peace negotiations.

In the fourth and fifth panels, war crimes by various states were discussed. The “Third World War”, which until yesterday circulated as a speculative observation, has turned into a reality right before our eyes. It was emphasized that it requires more insistence, more effort, and more virtue to build peace against war profiteers and oppressive states who mutually benefit from death and destruction.

Ultimately, it was stated that the need for societal peace has become more necessary than ever, as women and children are faced with daily massacres, and where homophobia, racism, sexism, and the destruction of nature are the new normal of our collapsing world. It was also emphasized that a peace that defends the rights of all living beings, not only human beings, is our only solution.

During the day-long workshops, a series of declarations were adopted, which were deemed necessary for peace."

Final resolution and decisions

Journalist Ertuğrul Mavioğlu shared the final resolution and the decisions taken at the conference to develop the peace struggle:

"1. We aim to jointly contribute to peace and democracy by drawing on the experiences of women’s movements. As a result, the architect of the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Women, Life, Freedom) philosophy, Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, must have his illegal state of inhumane isolation lifted. Women especially have no chance of achieving our full voice and rights until this isolation is lifted, as his philosophical ideas are a guidebook to carry the struggle of all women who are subjected to state and male violence, especially the Peace Mothers, Saturday Mothers, Plaza del Mayo mothers, and other similar women’s groups.

2. Historical and political developments have fused together the situation of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom and the solution of the Kurdish issue along the axis of democracy and human rights. The European Forum for Freedom and Peace thus vows to do their part in overcoming the authoritarian and fascist regime in Ankara that continues to hide Öcalan’s voice from our world.

3. In order to realize a just and everlasting peace, an archive of peace efforts throughout the globe should be created. This will allow all struggles to learn from each of our experiences. Alongside this, campaigns promoting the idea of peace should be organized and spread to all segments of society (diplomacy, law, media, entertainment, art etc.) to influence public opinion. We must strive for peace with more passion and enthusiasm than those rapacious forces killing our planet do everyday.

4. The forum has thus set itself the goal of organizing concerts, festivals, campaigns, and meetings, while also creating digital platforms and producing art for peace in the near, medium, and long term, in order to increase the hope and excitement for a peaceful world.

5. And lastly, we all have a dream that we intend to make reality. We can stop colonialism, stop the arms factories from producing killing machines that are enough to destroy the world several times over, stop the massacres that turn the four corners of the world into a living hell, and stop the war madness that impoverishes millions and pushes them to migrate from their homelands to survive, while deepening inequality and destroying mother nature. This is our call: Come and share our dream of peace, which acts as a living testament born from our lived experiences of pain and perseverance."