Aynur Unal, a political analyst of the Kurdish political movement in Turkey at the University of Leicester told Kurdpress in an interview that Ankara sees the Kurdish issue in the country a terririst-related question and that outlook makes hurdles on solving the question.
What follows is his full answers to Kurdpress questions;
Who really leads the Kurdish political movement in Turkey; PKK and Ocalan or HDP?
Unfortunately, it is one of the most common polemics about the Kurdish political movement. SelahahtinDemirtaş, a former co-chair of the HDP, recently commented on this issue in one of his trials when he was being held in detention, he still is. ‘Whether I say it or not does not change anything. Today, there are 10 million signatures in the basement of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey state Abdullah Öcalan is my political will’ (GazeteDuvar, 2019). Current one of the co-chairman of HDP PervinBuldan also stated on a public TV channel that Öcalan was one of the main interlocutors in the negotiations between the Turkish state and the Kurds. Not only the HDP, but also the Government of Turkey sees it as such that Öcalan has been involved in peace talks initiated in 2009. So what I'm trying to say is, it is just a matter of how we look at the issue, how we described the situation. The main issue is the demanded fundamental rights for Kurds and of course, other peoples from different ethnic backgrounds. PKK emerged more than four decades ago with a different ideological stance to today’s view; on the other hand, political parties have emerged through the legal system with different political principles.
Based on this understanding, I believe the question of who is leading to Kurdish political movement underestimates the Kurdish reality and the significance of parliamentary politics of the HDP. We should look at realistically the role of Öcalan and PKK in the movement as all as the pro-Kurdish political parties.To me, the answer to this question is primarily to accept the Kurdish reality not only in Turkey but also in Iran, Iraq and Syria. I think it is necessary to know the basic demands of the Kurdish political movement. Today, there are two main claims that all actors within the movement, such as political parties and non-governmental organizations, meet on a mutual demands; one: constitutional recognition of Kurdish identity status and two:cultural rights, in particular, education in mother tongue.
In a nutshell, what I'm trying to point out is that I do not think a leadership question is an essential aspect of the Kurdish political movement. When you look closely at the HDP, you can see highly educated and dedicated experts (lawyers, teachers, trade unionists, academics, human rights advocates, authors etc.) from different ethnic backgrounds. This dedication to resolve issues concerning all peoples in Turkey is beyond the question of leadership. Otherwise, you could not explain the growing support of grassroots, in particular, theachievements of the last three general elections and local elections.
AKP and Erdogan could not solve the Kurdish problem and now deny it, how about the Opposition lead by CHP, especially now that control municipality of major cities and prepare themselves to take control of turkey government?
First of all, I would like to say something about the implication the issues as the Kurdish issue. I can say that this problem is not a Kurdish problem, but a problem between the state and even the states. Therefore, I think that it is necessary to agree with the state approach, not within the scope of party policy.
However, the function of Parliament and the policy of governments cannot be considered different from that of the functioning of the state. Therefore, of course, the government and the opposition have a great role in discussing the Kurdish matters. In Turkey’s case in particular CHP. I want to be hopeful about the CHP's role in solving this problem, but it does not seem too optimistic given the CHP's track record. There is a sharp attitude within the party that still carries that traditionalist stance with the Kemalist approach that denies the Kurdish reality.
However, the last local elections particularly Istanbul, I would say that it started building bridges and has created some positive environment due to the influence of the HDP voters. Especially recently, powerful voices within the CHP which have not been silent on the injustices against the HDP and Kurdish matters, have begun to react. Some of them, for example, are deputy SezginTanrikulu, Istanbul Mayor EkremImamoglu, Istanbul chair CananKaftancıoğlu, former MP BarisYarkadas, jailed former MP ErenErdem. I believe that these are promising developments in terms of talking about the Kurdish reality and raising public awareness. I hope that with this new understanding, the CHP will change its Kemaliststance that we have seen in the lifting of immunities and the support it has given the government in military action against Afrin. After the elections in Istanbul, even Party leader Kemal Kılıçdroglu seems to be giving sensitive messages to Kurdish political prisoners, but if you ask me, if there is a change in CHP's attitude about this issue, it comes with the criticism of that strict Kemalist mentality.
Can political exchange between Iraqi Kurdish parties and Turkish Kurdish parties change the political and social atmosphere in Turkey, for example, help Turkey Kurds get special status like the Kurdistan Region of Iraq?
I believe that the exchange is already undeniable in a cultural, sociological and historical which is beyond political context. As far as I have observed they do already have some stable connection regardless of ideological view differences. About the ‘special status like KRG’, the self-determination claim of pro-Kurdish political parties is different from KRG model as you can see. However, it does not mean that there is not recognition and support for each other. At least I can say thatthe HDP raised a strong voice and its clear support several times during the Kurdistan Regional Government’s independence referendum. I believe there has always been some level of political connection, but lately, because of the parliamentary politics of pro-Kurdish political parties have become more visible. Their official statements and visits show that there is an effort to build an environment to approach the issues of the whole region.
CanTurkey allies like the U.S and Europe help to solve the Kurdish problem in Turkey?
I want to put it slightly in a different way. Firstly, I believe that the Kurdish question in Turkey can be seen as a problem of the state, which since the beginningthat failed to recognise Kurdish reality. The problem, then it should be discussed and recognised the ethnic and cultural rights of Kurds within Turkey between representatives of both sides. However, I also believe that parliamentary politic of Kurdish movements has made a significant impact in terms of how the West sees the Kurdish struggle. Turkey's EU membership negotiations have also made significant impact in terms of cultural rights’ recognition, ending state emergency in the Kurdish region, releasing Kurdish political prisoners. In other words, of course, international engagement is vital since the demanded rights are universal human rights.
However, in here the biggest problem is as I said earlier too, the issue considered as Kurdish issue, more importantly as PKK issue rather than the Kurdish reality. The issue is at a stalemate at this point because when the PKK is involved, the issue is being dealt with as part of the terrorism issue. Because it is recognised as a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU. As you say so too, they are allies to Turkey, particularly within the NATO. It is always becoming a significant issue on the way. To recap, considering the requested rights are fundamental rights, I believe that the issue should be resolved within the framework of international law and scope of rights and responsibilities.
Turkey has tried to oppress the Kurdish political movement by doing economical projects in Kurdish regions, is it possible?
This is also an important aspect of the Kurdish reality in Turkey. Even state sources, statistics indicate that east and southeast Turkey is the least developed region and the least twenty citiesare in the region. This is neither my personal opinion nor a political matter. There is growing scholarly interest in this matter as well. During the last few decades, academic interest in Kurdish matters has increased. Not only in Turkey, in the other parts of Kurdistan as well, the practice of internal colonization of states been an emerging subject to academia. There is a link between underdevelopment of the region and self-determination claim of Kurds even before the establishment of the Turkish Republic. If you look at how the development project of GAP (Southeast Anatolia Project – ESA) failed to provide promised development for the region. You can see this argument clearly in the one of the academic work; even in the early years of the Turkish Republic official reports referring the Kurdish region states: ‘Ensure that there will be no economic base to support an independent indigenous existence’ (Yadirgi, 2017, p.xiii). Unfortunately, worldwide indigenous peoples experience this with the states they live in together. In the Kurdish case, in short, there have been always special implemented under social, cultural, economic and security measures since the establishment of the state.
How do you see the political movement of Turkey Kurds in the near Future?
Considering the growing support of the grassroots from all different ethnic backgrounds, the Kurds, more correctly the Kurdish political movement in Turkey, leading a very significant development not only in Turkey also in the Middle East. If we look at every level of HDP structure, which I have been familiar with, they are very well educated, open-minded and advocating for a solution for the whole region. Finally, I would like to say that the Kurdish political movement has remerged with a new understanding. I believe that this understanding developed by the pro-Kurdish political parties since the 1990s, which comes from the grassroots and responds to the demands of the grassroots, so I believe that it is inevitable that it will reach wider support from.
Reporter's code: 50101