The conference titled “Changes in the Middle East, the future of the region and the Kurds" continues in Sulaymaniyah.

Serhed Varto, member of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Foreign Relations Committee, spoke about the occupation attacks on Bashure (Southern) Kurdistan and Rojava.

Making a presentation titled “Reasons and objectives of the Turkish occupation of Southern Kurdistan”, Varto highlighted that the world system is in a great structural crisis.

Remarking that the crisis and chaos manifests itself most clearly in the war and conflicts in the Middle East, Varto said: “If you pay attention you will see that all the major powers of the world and the region are involved in the ongoing war in the Middle East. The war in the Middle East is actually a Third World War”.

There is no doubt, added Varto “that a new Middle East and world system will be established in the wake of this Third World War as it happened with the First and Second World Wars”.

Whether Kurds will take part in the new system is one of the most important issues in this war, underlined Varto, adding: “This issue will actually determine both the shape and feature of the new system. If the Kurds find space in the new system, nation states will weaken in form and the Middle East will become democratic in content”.

Varto warned that; “There are forces in this war who do not want Kurds to have a status, nor want them to have a place in the resulting Middle East system. Also, they do not want the democratization of the Middle East. The most important of these forces is Turkey”.

KCK member continued; “Since the very beginning, the world system has assigned Turkey as the guardian of the nation-state system in the Middle East. The Republic of Turkey actually has always considered Kurds the biggest threat to its own version of the nation-state which is built on denial and assimilation of other peoples.

For this reason, the fears of the Turkish state grew as the struggle of the Kurds grew, especially in North Kurdistan. The state regarded the existence of the Kurds as its own absence. For this reason, Kurdish people as a whole was declared an enemy”.

Coming to the current situation, Varto said that “the same policy of annihilation carried out by Turkey can be seen in the attack and invasion against Afrin”.

Sadly, said Varto “the Russian, Iranian and Syrian regimes, in addition to some other concessions, gave their approval and support to the attack of the Turkish State against Kurds. The same applies to the invasion of Southern Kurdistan”.

A special comment deserves Iraq, said Varto. “Although Kurds have some problems with the Iraqi state, Iraq is the only country that recognizes Kurdish presence and status in its Constitution. In fact, the Turkish state, taking advantage of the problems of the referendum process, wants to bring Iraq back into an anti-Kurdish politics”.

Varto pointed out that Turkey is displaying its old demagogy while trying to convince others that it is fighting against the PKK, the PYD or the YPG. In reality, the target is the Kurdish people and their achievements, those in Rojava and in Southern Kurdistan.

Varto said the attitude of the Kurdistan Regional Government is not clear when it comes to Turkish occupation.

"Most of the political parties in Southern Kurdistan have reacted and protested against the occupation. These stances are quite valuable but insufficient”, said Varto, who added: “The land being occupied is our country. We cannot reject the occupiers only with condemnation, statements and civil actions. There is a need for much more serious political, diplomatic, social and serhildan [uprising] actions”.

Commending the work and action carried out by the civil society, artists, youth, women, Varto ended his remarks by saying:

“Anti-occupation struggle and actions need to be carried out in a joint organization. As movement, we have been displaying a great resistance against occupation since the first day.

Guerrillas have managed to stop and confined occupying forces that have not been able to make a slightest advance in Lelikan for months. Undoubtedly, we will carry on this resistance until victory. We will stand by and resist with our people and win as it was the case in Shengal, Makhmur and Kobanê”.