468 trade unions, non-governmental and labour organizations from different cities of North Kurdistan came together at the Dağ Kapı Square in Amed (Diyarbakır) to mark September 1, World Peace Day.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır Provincial Co-Chair Zeyyat Ceylan and Amed deputy İmam Taşçıer also attended the press briefing held under the motto "Peace, Right Now".

The Kurdish version of the statement was read out by the Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO) Diyarbakir Branch Co-Chair Sorgül Aytek Avşar, and the Turkish version by the Diyarbakir Bar Association head Nahit Eren.

Eren remarked that the most important reason for Turkey's problems in the fields of law, democracy and human rights is the insistence on the deadlock of the Kurdish problem.

“This insistence does not respond to the social demands concerning fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey and maintains security policies that are far from offering a democratic solution,” Eren said.

“The deadlock in the Kurdish question causes loss of lives and undermines laws, democracy and human rights, leading to economic problems due to government expenditure. As a matter of fact, Turkey lags behind in the global democracy index rankings and the rule of law index.”

“We urge all actors, social and political groups to fulfil their responsibilities in order to ensure a non-conflict environment as we believe that the Kurdish issue can only be resolved on a peaceful and democratic basis,” Eren noted.

“We insist that peace should be the most important and primary agenda of Turkey. We call for a solution and a lasting peace on the basis of universal principles by moving away from the shadow of weapons and conflicts as soon as possible as we observed the public enthusiasm created by the previous peace process,” the joint declaration concluded.