KCK Executive Council Co-leadership has stated the following in a statement regarding the recent developments in Kurdistan territory and the stance Kurds need to adopt:

“The World War I in the first quarter of the 20th century has divided Kurdistan into four parts. In all four parts, starting from Turkey, Kurds have been subjected to physical and cultural genocide and they were intended to be melted into the hegemonic nations. Kurds have suffered greatly during the 20th century due to the genocidal policies and practices and have been brought to the brink of extinction as a nation. The division of Kurdistan into four parts and anti-colonialist resistances remaining fragmented and localized have resulted in genocidal colonialism to survive into the 21st century.

The development of organized political struggle in all parts of Kurdistan in the 1970’s and the fall of the bipolar world in the beginning of the 1990’s has shaken and dispersed the balance of the 20th century with genocidal political balance for Kurds. A new period has started for Kurds where they will win big and achieve a status based on free and democratic life if they fight and build their political unity.

The Middle East is a land where the world’s political balance is built. The World War III that will form the new world balance after the fall of the old has started and continues in the Middle East. International powers that want to have influence in the region, the status-quoist and regressive forces of the region that want to keep their former positions and peoples’ forces that aren’t happy with their current position take part in this war. As Kurds are the worst affected by the old political balance and status-quo, they want to take their place in the political balance to be formed anew and achieve their democratic and free life with the organizations and the political struggle they have created for decades. With the insurgencies of 2011 dubbed the Arab Spring, the Arab peoples have also stated that they are not content with their position and want to achieve a free and democratic life.

In the World War III where the old balances come down and new balances and status-quos are meant to be built with the multidimensional war, everybody wants to strengthen their positions and take effective part in the new political balances to be built. To this end, a violent war continues in which alliances fall and new alliances rise every day. This situation expresses a reality that the Kurds who were subjected to genocides within the 20th century status-quo should assess the most.

“KURDS HAVE BECOME A RISING NATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST”

Unlike the 20th century, the Kurds have great advantages in the political balance process to be built in the 21st century. The Kurds have significant political and military organizations and the Kurdish people have a will and a determination to live free and democratically like never before. Kurds have the will to live free and democratically in all four parts of Kurdistan and are willing to pay the price to reach the free and democratic life. The Kurds are more supportive of the national awareness and their identity more than ever before. As the Kurdish people, we are undoubtedly going through a strong period. Friend or foe, everybody accepts that the Kurds have become a rising nation in the Middle East.

“STRENGTHENING OF KURDS CARRIES OPPORTUNITIES TO WIN AS WELL AS GREAT DANGERS”

The fall of the old balance in the Middle East and the strengthening of the Kurds in this atmosphere creates great opportunities to win, as well as great dangers. The AKP government saying “We will not make the same mistake we did in Northern Iraq in Northern Syria” and opposing Kurds gaining rights everywhere exposes this fact. The strengthening of Kurds has mobilized the enemies of Kurds and those who want to carry out the genocide as well. There are still forces in the Middle East that don’t accept and stomach the Kurds’ existence and their free and democratic life. The strengthening of Kurds has also caused the counter-attacks to increase. All Kurdish people and political forces should see this fact. This is a period when we can’t be careless and we must keep our awareness at the topmost level. The multidimensional war in the Middle East and the appearance of new political situations every day exposes this fact.

"IF KURDS ACHIEVE UNITY IT WILL TRANSLATE INTO A GREAT GAIN"

Opportunities to achieve a free and democratic life have increased significantly wherever the Kurds are. If Kurds achieve Kurdish unity in the part they are in, as well as between parts, they will definitely eliminate threats and turn opportunities into great gains. The years we are living through are absolutely forcing national unity. When will Kurds unite and act together if not in this period? This is not voiced just by organized political powers, but the whole of the Kurdish people. In this sense, the process we are experiencing puts historic duties on the shoulders of all Kurdish political parties, organizations and national democratic forces.

The Kurdish people have suffered greatly throughout history for not being united. Fragmentation has cost the Kurds much. In this sense, the Kurdish people have expressed this most strikingly via Ahmedê Xanê’s narration in the epic of Mem û Zîn. Due to the pains suffered in the 20th century, for decades many parties and organizations including the PKK have expressed the longing and call to organize a national congress and achieve national unity, time and time again. The Kurdish people and their intellectuals have voiced the importance of national unity at every chance and have called for a national congress to be held. Actually, our people have taken important steps on the path to national unity in the last quarter century. With political struggles in all parts of Kurdistan the borders have lost their meaning, and national unity has for the most part been achieved on a people level. But this unity achieved among the people could not be developed to the desired level among political parties and organizations. This has resulted in the Kurds not being able to take advantage of the emerging opportunities, and has created problems regarding the gains and the struggles for freedom and democracy for Kurds.

The Kurdish political movements failing to unite has directly reflected back on problems among political parties and organizations in all parts of Kurdistan, and most importantly, has caused historic possibilities that have come along for Kurds to be wasted and great opportunities to be missed. Our movement feels this pressing issue every day, and we believe that all political parties and organizations feel this as well. In Bakur, Rojava, Bashur and Rojhelat, if there was unity among Kurds, if there was unity among parties and political powers in all parts, in all parts of Kurdistan, the Kurdish issue would be solved and Kurds will achieve great gains in all parts. Not acting on what is necessary even though this fact is seen by all political parties weighs a historic responsibility on all our shoulders.

"THE POLITICAL SITUATION CONSTITUTES A CALL FOR ALL KURDS TO COME TOGETHER"

The political situation and ongoing clashes in Bakur, Bashur, Rojava and Rojhilatê Kurdistan constitute a call for all Kurdish political parties and organizations to come together. The political situation and ongoing clashes constituting a call for us increases our responsibility and forces us to act. When we take on this responsibility and act, it will be seen that all parties and organizations, the Kurdish people as a whole and the political powers will get stronger and reach the strength to solve all problems they encounter. The national unity of Kurds will be an effective intervention on the political developments in the Middle East, and all peoples of the Middle East will prevail along with the Kurds. The “win-win” reality will be actualized for all peoples of the Middle East in exactly that situation.

"ALL KURDISH PARTIES SHOULD TAKE STEPS TOWARDS NATIONAL CONGRESS AND UNITY"

The historic duty that befalls every Kurdish political party and organization should be to heed the call of history and the times and take towards a National Congress and national unity. During 2013 and 2014, efforts to this end have accumulated significant experience and created important results. Everybody won in this process. With this perspective, and taking into consideration the accumulated experience, all political organizations holding a meeting for national unity first will be an important step. After this step, a congress preparation committee can be formed, preparations for a national congress can be made, political problems facing Kurds can be determined and these can be carried to the preparation committee and the National Congress.

We call on all parties and organizations to take the first step towards efforts for a National Congress with a meeting of national unity within the framework of relationships and dialogue to be developed on the basis of the understanding and perspective we set forth.

In the relationships and meetings we develop with political parties and groups, we hold dialogues regarding the necessity for a national congress and the importance of this. But calls and proposals coming from many intellectuals and various circles, and our people’s expectations has made it clear that such a call is necessary. With this declaration to the public and our people, we aimed to make a commitment for our movement first, and to accelerate this step in this historic process. In this basis, we believe that all Kurdish political parties and organizations will fulfill the responsibility that is placed on all of us by the people and history, and reiterate that we will undertake any and all responsibility that falls upon us.”