Kurdish Friendship Group in the European Parliament MEPs, François Alfonsi (Greens / EFA, France) Andreas Schieder (S&D, Austria) Nikolaj Villumsen (GUE / NGL, Denmark), sent a letter about dialogue and cooperation between the MEPs of the Kurdish Friendship Group in the European Parliament and the elected representatives of Kurdistan, and expressed their concern for the growing tension in South Kurdistan.

The letter was sent to the Kurdish democratic authorities; Elected Members of the Legislative Assembly of Turkey Government and parliamentarians of Iraqi Kurdistan Government and parliamentarians of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria.

The letter reminds that the cross-party Friendship Group of Members of the European Parliament was created after the European Parliamentary elections of July 2019, with the aim of working for the defence of the Kurdish people in their various fights for freedom and democracy.

The letter says: "We believe that the Kurdish people are the bearers of essential values through the difficult and dangerous political context of the Middle East: values that promote democracy, the fight against terrorism, and the rights of women and minorities. This makes them an essential pillar for the building of a peaceful future in the Middle East, based on the right to self-determination."

The letter adds: "We have seen how the Kurds have suffered from numerous aggressions in recent decades: from Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and protecting minorities against islamists; from Daesh, in Syria, where the Kurds made a decisive contribution to the victory of the international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; and in Turkey, where Kurdish leaders, elected by universal suffrage, have been, and continue to be, arbitrarily imprisoned."

The Kurdish Friendship Group says it has been "observing recent events" and has "become particularly concerned about the aggressive and hostile policy towards the Kurds by the ruling regime in Turkey, under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan." 

The letter adds: "The Turkish invasion of entire territories in northern Syria, and their military deployment in Kurdish territory in northern Iraq, violate international law. At the same time, the close cooperation between the Turkish army and the terrorist movements that participated in the creation of the ISIS, has been well proven, and includes Turkey’s use of these mercenaries in other theatres of operation at the edges of Europe (Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya)."

The letter continues: "This is a source of immediate concern for us, as we watch Europe become the victim of a new outbreak of terrorist attacks in France and Austria. We believe that the links between the Kurdish authorities and Europe should be strengthened. Europe has the potential to exercise significant leverage over Turkey - more than any other power in the world - because of its geographic proximity, and because of the importance of its economic exchanges."

The letter ends remarking: "We want to work, as elected Europeans, to use the opportunities that we have to contribute to freedom for all Kurds, to help bring an end to anti-democratic regimes, and to ensure the lasting defeat of the Islamist terrorist organizations that threaten Europe and the world."