Representatives of nine Kurdish parties came together in Amed with the goal of developing Kurdish language, fighting against assimilation, achieving the recognition of Kurdish as an official language to be taught in schools.

The parties involved were: Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Party of Democratic Regions (DBP), Freedom and Socialism Party (OSP), Kurdistan Democratic Party-Bakur (KDP-B), Kurdistan Democratic Party- Turkey (KDP-T), Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK), Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), Human and Freedom Party and Azadi Movement.

The nine parties held a joint press conference at the premises of the Association of Southeastern Journalists.

The press conference was attended by DBP Provincial Co-Chair Ibrahim Cicek, HDP Provincial Co-Chair Filiz Buluttekin, the KDP-Turkey deputy Chair Serefhan Ciziri, OSP President Sinan Çiftyürek, Azadi Movement Spokesperson Ayetullah Aşiti, Human and Freedom Party Deputy Chair Sedat Dogan, PSK Chairman Mesut Tek, PAK deputy Chair Vahit Aba.

The final statement was read in the Kurmancî and Kirmanckî dialects of Kurdish.

Assimilation is like cancer for a language

The parties, which defined assimilation as a “cancer for a language”, called for initiatives to be taken to counter assimilation.

The statement, reminding that the educational life as well as the economic and social life is actually carried out in Turkish, underlined that the aim of the parties coming together was “to expose the Turkish regime's 100-year racist politics”.

The Kurdish parties stated that they were looking for an answer to how this deep and bleeding wound concerning the Kurdish language and identity could be healed. They said: “We came together with the determination to promise initiatives together with politicians and civil society associations, intellectuals, artists and the people to counter the assimilation on our language.”

At home, in the street, on the bus, at the hospital…

The parties called on people to speak Kurdî (Kurmancî, Kırmançkî), at home, on the street, on the bus, at the hospital.

The statement said: “We want to support our institutions and individuals who are experts in the language sector to come together and create a ground for creating a synergy through creative, inclusive, long-term opinion-suggestion-projects. We want to grab their attention with a common call to the institutions such as television, radio, and newspaper, to contribute to the campaign through special programs and literary activities”.

Initiatives against assimilation, said the Kurdish parties: “are important. We call on our people to cry out against assimilation, against this social cancer. Go into action to make the world hear you, beginning with the United Nations UNESCO. We came together with our people, our civil and political cadres to contribute to the strengthening of an environment in which democratic culture and national alliance should prevail. This is the first step to this end.”