The EUTCC welcomes the decisions of the 12th PKK Congress and emphasizes the importance of legal certainty. It also calls for the PKK to be removed from the list of terrorist organizations and for the release of Abdullah Öcalan.
Despite ongoing Turkish operations and attacks, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) held its 12th Party Congress on May 5-7 at two locations in air strikes guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). In a historic statement on May 12, the PKK announced the decisions taken at the congress, which include, in particular, the end of armed struggle and the dissolution of its organizational structure. The PKK decision followed the historic ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ made by PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan on February 27 this year, after which it declared a unilateral ceasefire on March 1.
The EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) issued a written statement on the decisions and published its perspectives and proposals for the further course of a peace and democratization process. It began by acknowledging the steps taken by the PKK, saying: “This is the starting point for a political and social transformation and thus for the beginning of a new era.”
The EUTCC pointed out that further steps must be taken immediately so that this transformation can succeed: “The creation of the appropriate political and legal foundations is essential, as is the freedom of Kurdish Political Leader Abdullah Öcalan. The latter is also relevant in the context of implementing the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.”
EUTCC noted that the PKK’s declaration was welcomed internationally and the importance of the political process was emphasised. In its report on Turkey, the European Parliament also recognised the developments in the context of Öcalan’s historic appeal. It is now important to exert influence on Turkey in order to strengthen the process, it added.
According to EUTCC, the European Union can directly and positively reinforce developments by increasing the pressure to implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and constitutional reforms in Turkey and by removing the PKK from its terror list.
“Peace and a democratic society will have positive regional and global implications that are more necessary than ever. Rapid, strong and clear action is therefore required from all sides, especially European institutions,” the EUTCC statement concluded.
