In a press statement in the parliament, the Group Deputy Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Meral Danış Beştaş evaluated the latest developments in Turkey. Drawing attention to the Dolmabahçe Agreement signed on February 28, 2015, Beştaş said that this agreement was abandoned by the government because of the ambition of power.

Beştaş emphasized that for the last 7 years, since the denial of the Dolmabahçe Agreement, the government has caused serious economic, political and social crises targeting the peoples of Turkey.

On February 28, 2015, the "Dolmabahçe Agreement" was declared in Istanbul. The agreement was a ten-point plan negotiated between Abdullah Öcalan and the Turkish state for a resolution to the Kurdish question. The Kurdish side was represented by the HDP, and the delegation included Pervin Buldan, Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Idris Baluken. The peace process was terminated shortly thereafter by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

IMRALI REGIME SHOULD BE REMOVED

Beştaş called for a reintroduction of the agreement, saying that “a climate of hope for peace has been seriously damaged and the people are currently facing serious violence while raising their demand for social peace.”

“ The reintroduction of the Dolmabahçe Agreement is a historical responsibility for all of us,” Beştaş said, and called for an end to the aggravated isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in the Imrali Island Prison where he has been held since his abduction from Kenya to Turkey as result of an international conspiracy.

“I would like to note that it is a historical duty to re-adopt the Dolmabahçe Agreement, to remove the Imrali regime, to allow the families and lawyers to meet Öcalan and other prisoners held there, and, of course, their contact with the political body,” Beştaş said.

MARCH 8

Beştaş also spoke on March 8, International Women's Day, saying, “We will organize events on March 8 all over Turkey. We will celebrate the women’s day through a broad women's alliance, solidarity and resistance, and we will again protest the policy of violence against women, discrimination, systematic harassment and impunity. We will undertake a serious preparation and struggle partnership to promote women's emancipation.”

WAR IN UKRAINE

Beştaş also talked about the ongoing war in Ukraine. “The invasion operation should be ended, and negotiations should be encouraged for a political solution,” the HDP politician said.

“This war has also shown us that authoritarian regimes based on one-man rule cause troubles for the peoples,” she added.

Beştaş urged the government to “abandon the ‘wait and see’ policy regarding the Ukraine war, to comply with the Montreux Convention and to fulfil its responsibilities to prevent the Black Sea from becoming a war zone”. She also criticized the hypocrisy of the anti-war opposition in Turkey.

HYPOCRACY OF ANTI-WAR OPPOSITION

“Currently, there is opposition to war all over the world following Russia's invasion and war on Ukraine. In Turkey, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the war. I would like to bring it to your attention that the anti-war opposition in Turkey relies on geography, country and identity. What happened when Turkey invaded Afrin? Those who praised militarism and war back then are now shouting that 'they are against war'. However, the current anti-war sentiment is not based on principles, but varies according to countries and identities,” Beştaş noted.

TURKISH INVASION OF AFRIN

Beştaş reacted to those who say that “the Russian occupation is against international law," asking the question “was the invasion of Afrin in 2018 in accordance with international law?”.

“When it comes to Ukraine, war is considered against the international law, but the invasion of Afrin is deemed appropriate. We would like to draw your attention to the silence in the world and in Turkey towards the crimes against humanity, including the forced displacement in Afrin. Our advocacy for peace will continue regardless of country, identity and geography.”