MESOP QUOTATION : HOW TO READ ÖCALAN ?

As the 2013 resolution process began, Öcalan’s move verified the veracity of the above observation. Öcalan’s formulation was as simple: if Turkey consolidates its democracy the Kurdish question will have a resolution. The more Turkey democratizes, the better it will get for everyone including the Kurds. Öcalan has recognized the fact that Turkey’s democratic consolidation would be delayed as long as the PKK continued to hold arms. He acknowledged it was this delay that prevented Kurds gaining their rights under democracy. He also noticed that the PKK did not have a future as an armed organization in the new equilibrium of the Middle East. Having rejected the secular leftist jargon that has dominated the PKK’s discourse for years, he announced the “end of the armed struggle.”

Taha Özhan – President SETA  Foundation