Following its march on Ankara, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is holding meetings throughout Turkey under the motto "Democracy meetings - all together". On Saturday, an event entitled "Meeting of Peoples and Religious Communities" took place in Hatay. Participants in the event included Mithat Sancar (HDP), Idil Uğurlu (HDK), Canan Yüce (SYKP), Çiçek Otlu and Osman Kara (ESP), as well as representatives of Arab-Alevite, Armenian, Christian, Alevi and Muslim organisations.

After the welcoming address given by HDP parliamentarian Tülay Hatimoğulları, Mithat Sancar, co-chair of the HDP, spoke on the purpose of the "democracy meetings" initiated by his party, referring to the declaration published by the party in June. He said that this was a call to all democratic forces and groups that want to work for the good.

The construction of the good

In his speech, the HDP leader said: "The government is driving the “bad” in this country to many areas. We object to the bad, and that is good, but at the same time the “good” must also be built up. And that is the purpose of these meetings. To build something new on the basis of justice, conscience, freedom, pluralism and equality, we need to create a common force. We say that no new life is possible without the HDP, but we also know that it won’t be achieved with the HDP alone. For this reason, we as a party see ourselves on an equal footing with all the groups and organisations we meet. We want to be a part of the transformational force that will emerge from these meetings. This transformational force is a shared strength that is committed to change and renewal. The goal is to create a common force for the freedom of peoples and the equality of faith communities.

We are dealing with a government that is driving the war not only in Syria, but now in new areas as well. If we do not join forces for peace, this policy will cost thousands or tens of thousands more lives and open up wounds that will not heal for decades. Therefore, the creation of a force for peace is a very urgent need. The peace issue is linked to the Kurdish question. A democratic solution to the Kurdish question is an indispensable prerequisite for peace in the country.

We must all be aware that ending the war in just one country does not mean peace in the Middle East. We need a Middle East peace movement that goes beyond governments and states and is based on society. Such a Peace International is more urgently needed than ever in terms of all our goals. We must not give in to fear. If we do, we will lose our conscience and ourselves."

After Mithat Sancar's speech, the meeting continued without the press.