Speaking at the 10th conference on Europe, Turkey and the Kurds, which opened on Wednesday afternoon at the European Parliament, BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) co-chair Gültan Kışanak put emphasis on Europe's role and responsibility for the resolution of the Kurdish question in Turkey.

Kışanak remarked that Europe had historical responsibilities regarding the problems and tragedies suffered by Kurds, and underlined that; "It is a requirement of this responsibility for Europe to play a positive part for the achievement of a solution".

Reminding of the resolution declaration of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, Kışanak said the first phase of the resolution process didn't witness the steps it required, and added that; "The second phase called for reforms, legal arrangements and constitutional changes but the government failed to make legal arrangements and to perform constitutional works in the so-called democratisation package it has recently unveiled". BDP co-chair pointed out that the withdrawal of guerrillas was suspended as a result of this fact, and has caused a critical deadlock for the three-phased process. Kışanak put emphasis on the importance of the continuation of the ceasefire and the talks with Öcalan, and underlined that the present deadlock could only be eliminated by giving weight to positive sides of the process and fulfilling other needs.

Kışanak said the third phase, the normalization process, became a subject of debate because of the government's statements, such as the general amnesty discussion the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has recently initiated and led to further discussions in the society.

BDP co-chair underlined that the process faced the risk of failure unless necessary legal foundations are provided and the discussion goes beyond a single matter of debate.

"A solution to the Kurdish issue could only be achieved by initiating a process in which the Kurdish people and other identities in Turkey can attain their rights and freedoms. The centralist Turkish republic is a state which resorts to assimilation and unlawful methods and unrecognizes universal legal norms. If we are meant to talk about normalisation, it is the state that should go through this process first", Kışanak underlined.

BDP co-chair pointed out that for the continuation of the process, the Turkish state should expand the scope of the ongoing talks with Öcalan, provide the Kurdish leader with the opportunity to contact KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) executives and take some urgent positive steps such as coming up with a solution to the ill prisoners issue that has become a human drama today.

The conference continues today.