Responding to the Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement that the PKK wants to take over Hewlêr, the PKK said: "Hewlêr is the capital of South Kurdistan. Sulaymaniyah is the second largest city (...) Seizing Hewlêr is only in the Turkish Republic agenda."

The PKK statement is as follows:

"The invasion attack launched by the Turkish Republic on June 16 against Heftanin, in Southern Kurdistan, continues. It is known by the Kurdistan and the world public that the KDP openly and secretly supported this occupation. The KDP is justifying the Turkish state occupation by saying that its attacks are linked to the existence of the PKK and the freedom guerrilla. Turkey attacks Heftanin as well as Shengal and Maxmur.

The PKK and the Kurdistan Freedom guerrilla have the right to be in all of Kurdistan and to struggle. As the PKK does not see or recognize any occupying power invading Kurdistan as legitimate, it has also determined to fight against and resist colonialism as a basic strategy. Just as other Kurdish organizations have the right to organize and fight in all parts of Kurdistan, this applies even more to the PKK. Again, the PKK sees resistance as a very important method in the struggle to liberate Kurdistan. Besides the political, social and diplomatic dimensions of resistance, military-guerrilla resistance is one method of struggle. The PKK sees guerrilla resistance and struggle as the basic guarantee for the liberation of Kurdistan.

Despite being so clear, the KDP's misperception of the armed resistance and the struggle against colonialism and its propaganda harming the achievements of the Kurdish people is a distortion. The PKK and the guerrilla are safeguards and protect all gains in Kurdistan. The KDP waged a peshmerga struggle against colonialism for years. If the KDP finds the peshmerga resistance and struggle wrong today, it should say why. If it found the struggle of the peshmerga right for years, it must also reject the politics of distorting and defamation of the resistance carried out by the freedom guerrilla today.

Fascist Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu's statement saying that "the PKK wants to seize Hewler" expresses their despair given the guerrilla resistance. The PKK, as a Kurdistan party, continues its existence in the entire Kurdistan. Hewlêr is the capital of South Kurdistan. Sulaymaniyah is also its second largest city. Our people, both in these cities and in all of South Kurdistan, have great respect and sympathy for the PKK struggle and the guerrillas. The PKK has promised to defend the people of Kurdistan in every field and acts with this in mind. Therefore, seizing Hewler can only be the plan of the Turkish special war. As the PKK, our goal is to remove and liberate Kurdistan from the Turkish occupation. This game of the anti-Kurdish Turkish Republic has already been played in vain before and has been condemned in South Kurdistan, especially in Hewler and Sulaymaniyah.

When ISIS attacked the achievements of South Kurdistan, Shengal and Maxmur, those who invite the guerrilla to fight cannot state that it is wrong to resist and fight against Turkey today. Political struggle and governance imply a responsibility.

On this basis, we call on all Kurdish political parties and our people to take a stand against the fascist Turkish state and those who are in open or secret cooperation with the enemies of Kurds."