Reaction against KDP Leader Masoud Barzani staying silent against Binali Yıldırım’s comments of “PKK and PYD are terrorists” is on the rise.

PUK Iraqi Parliament member Mihemed Osman stated that PKK and PYD are legitimate parties of the Kurdish freedom movement, and said: “If PKK and PYD are terrorists, then I am too.”

Osman said the Turkish state should stop insulting the Kurds and learn the culture of coexistence from them and continued: “Yıldırım’s comments in Hewler don’t serve anything. If we as Arabs, Turkmens, Farsis and Kurds live together in these regions, then we must respect each other. These peoples all pursue a cause to self-determination. We will never accept the statements that PKK and PYD are terrorists.”

IF PKK IS TERRORIST, SO AM I

PUK MP Osman also protested KDP Leader Masoud Barzani staying silent in the face of the Turkish Prime Minister calling PKK and PYD terrorists and said: “ Masoud Barzani isn’t the president of the Kurdistan region, but the KDP. In this sense, KDP should explain why Masoud Barzani didn’t take a stance there. But even if they don’t, it should be known that that approach there was not appropriate at all. Because PKK and PYD are Kurdish parties with thousands of martyrs. From Xaneqin to Kobanê, these forces defended Kurdistan’s lands and lost martyrs. Moreover, let’s not forget that when PKK guerrillas defended Maxmur, Masoud Barzani went and thanked them for their efforts. In this sense, what should have happened isn’t this. I would like to state this as well: I had said that if PKK is terrorist, then I’m a terrorist too, and I repeat that now.”

“IT’S THE TURKISH STATE, NOT PKK, THAT SHOULD LEAVE THE SOUTH”

Osman said the following on the discussions of PKK leaving Shengal: “It’s not appropriate to try to force PKK forces out of there. Because when there were attacks on Southern Kurdistan and Shengal, PKK was there in the defense fronts along with the peshmerga. Shengal issue can only be solved through dialogue. Nevermind forcing PKK out of Shengal, the Turkish state should remove all military bases from Southern Kurdistan. The Turkish state should leave the South, after that, PKK leaving Shengal is an internal matter for Kurds. They can solve it among themselves.”

“MILITARY FORCES SHOULD UNITE”

Osman pointed out that the best option for Kurds is to have all defense forces under one umbrella and said: “Military forces for all parties should unite and not be party to political groups anymore. It is the same for Southern Kurdistan. The military forces should be controlled by the government, not political parties.