Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, evaluating the call by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan to the terrorist organization, "All groups must lay down arms and the PKK must disband itself," said, "It appears that the issue of Öcalan's amnesty, which was initially on the agenda, is now out of the picture. The call is a completely unconditional, without stipulations or demands, call for disarmament.
Stating that there is currently a very important opportunity for Turkey, Prof. Dr. Kaynak added, "The current global conjuncture offers significant advantages for Turkey, and the successful management of this process could greatly contribute to the 'Century of Turkey' vision."
Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, evaluated PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's call to the terrorist organization, "All groups must lay down arms and the PKK must disband itself."
Although Bahçeli's initiation of this process was shocking…
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, referring to the process initiated by Devlet Bahçeli's call, said, "To explain how the process came about, this situation did not emerge out of nowhere. Neither did Devlet Bahçeli suddenly get inspired and start this process, nor could the Öcalan wing and the organization's wing respond so easily. It is noteworthy that Mr. Bahçeli initiated the process by first shaking hands and triggering a transformation. Although it was shocking for Bahçeli, the leader of the nationalist wing who stood out with his nationalist identity throughout all these years of conflict and drew clear lines in this struggle, to initiate this process, it was also an important prerequisite for the process to develop fruitfully."
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, stating that society generally cannot easily adapt to such processes in prolonged conflicts, continued as follows:
“The spirit of conflict becomes the identity of society, and the parties become polarized. We call these 'chronic conflicts.' There are 3-5 examples of them in the world. This name is given to conflicts that have lasted for many years, where those who tried to intervene and mediate failed, and peace initiatives were tried repeatedly but could never be implemented. The conflict does not become chronic. The most important reason for this is that such conflicts are not about interests but about identities. It is about a block formation related to what the other side is, not what they do or what they expect. Many people perceived these processes by saying, 'We haven't discriminated against Kurds in our lives, so what's happening now?' The habit of empathizing with the other side is absent on both sides. Neither can we care about what the other side feels, nor do they care about what this side might feel. Therefore, society begins to divide into two separate blocs that cannot reconcile or speak with each other, and the internal violence, the traumatic effect created by that violence, deepens the situation.”
For 50 years, citizens have made immense efforts not to turn this situation into a civil war
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, explaining that throughout this process, which has been ongoing for nearly 50 years, the citizens of the Republic of Turkey have made immense efforts not to turn this situation into a civil war, said, "Society showed immense resilience to prevent animosity between Kurds and Turks, and Turks and Kurds, and to marginalize those who thought this way. In other words, despite being played upon so much and provoked so much, this country steadfastly resisted becoming enemies with one another. This became a historical example. Meanwhile, some countries, for their national interests, regional powers or global powers, also provided some provocative support to the organization."
Turkey Without Terror…
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak noted that the slogan "Turkey without Terror" is a good slogan, and said, "It is stated that the necessary conditions are being prepared for Turkey to no longer deal with terrorism, but this is also a risky situation. Because it also contains a promise, as if a guarantee is being given. This creates a fertile ground for all kinds of provocations to break this guarantee and undermine the peace process. Therefore, we must first tell the public this: We must show the same psychological resilience to protect this process against potential provocative actions. If we declare in advance that we will be resilient against reactions like 'Oh, they said peace process, and look what happened somewhere,' and that we know it's a provocation, then such an action would backfire on them, and they would achieve nothing."
It needs to be completed with the discourse of a terror-free region…
Kaynak stated that although the discourse of "Turkey without Terror" seems to cover only the geography of Turkey, this call essentially extends to geographies outside of Turkey as well, and said, "Turkey's internal PKK problem has been largely suppressed and has now turned into a political issue. However, the situation is different in Syria, Iraq, and Qandil. After a terror-free Turkey, it needs to be completed with the discourse of a terror-free region."
We also suffered enormous losses…
Prof. Dr. Kaynak, also reminding that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "Öcalan will not leave the island. He will remain in İmralı," stated, "The Republic of Turkey is the winning side in this struggle. But on the other hand, we also suffered enormous losses. We lost our young children. Many civilians lost their lives. The children who went to the mountains were also citizens of the Republic of Turkey. They are also our children. We lost them the day they went to the mountains. Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood is very important in this region. The unity of Turks and Kurds is a point of resistance against all global powers and imperialism."
Not just a terror-free Turkey, but a terror-free region is proposed
Prof. Dr. Kaynak noted that the end of this issue should be a celebration for all citizens of the Republic of Turkey, but that it might not end with this alone, and said, "It should not create disappointment. The issue is not just about the PKK. The KCK structure sees itself as the umbrella of an international Kurdish political movement. Not just a terror-free Turkey, but a terror-free region is proposed. They might broaden the concept a bit more in the coming period."
“He is not talking about establishing a new republic”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, also stating that Öcalan said everything desired, continued as follows: "‘You will also lay down your arms. Convene your congress. Disband yourselves democratically before your existence is forcibly destroyed,’ he said. In other words, he is essentially saying, ‘Disband yourselves like other communities before your existence is forcibly ended, otherwise, there will be consequences.’ I generally read the text as a self-criticism. Unlike his previous criticisms directed at the Republic of Turkey, this time he does not delve into these issues. On the contrary, he addresses the issue within the framework of imperialist powers' intervention, stating, ‘Games have been played on these lands for 200 years.’ He speaks of a process where capitalist modernity brought identity issues to the forefront, referring to the 19th and 20th centuries. Furthermore, he emphasizes that the organization has moved away from its socialist identity. The PKK started as a Marxist-Leninist organization. However, he states how the organization, which started as a socialist movement, gradually drifted into an extreme nationalist trajectory. He criticizes this situation by saying, ‘We have shifted to an extreme nationalist line,’ and states that they are on the wrong path. Because with the collapse of real socialism, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he states that the organization could not find an exit path other than socialism and therefore turned to nationalism. In other words, he expresses that the organization has deviated from its founding objectives. However, he calls for a democratic society and reconciliation by saying, ‘We will build the second century of the Republic together.’ The striking point here is that he explicitly refers to the Republic of Turkey with the phrase ‘the second century of the Republic.’ In other words, he is not talking about establishing a new republic. However, he also touches upon the ideological pressures that emerged during certain periods of the Republic and were called Kemalism.”
Istanbul is where the Kurdish population is most concentrated in Turkey
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, evaluating Öcalan’s letter, stated the following: "He says that the reason for the PKK's emergence stems from the closure of democratic political channels. That is, he says, 'If you are disbanding your existence, it means democratic channels are currently open.' This means that the organization's reason for existence has ceased. By saying, 'We existed for this,' he states that the organization's raison d'être is no longer valid. Secondly, he states that independent nation-state, federation, administrative autonomy, and culturalist solutions, which are the inevitable outcome of extreme nationalist drift, do not conform to historical social sociology. This is a very important point. While many people in Turkey, even outside the Kurds, wondered, 'Is a federal solution possible? Could there be autonomy?', he immediately discards all these options. He says, 'These do not conform to the sociology of society.' This is already the fundamental problem. He emphasizes that it is impossible to produce a federal solution when the east and west of the country are not sharply separated in this sense, and Istanbul is where the Kurdish population is most concentrated in Turkey. Referring to the second century of the Republic, he states that democracy will be decisive in this process. By saying, 'I am talking about a common future expectation, not another country, not another Republic,' he states that they will crown the second century of the Republic with democracy. He says, 'There is no other way than democracy for system searches and changes,' and in this context, he emphasizes that no other search should be pursued."
The issue of Öcalan's amnesty is now out of the picture
Prof. Dr. Kaynak, recalling that a note stating "Legal processes must also be initiated as a complementary measure" was conveyed, said, "The legal processes here cover the measures the state will take regarding the peace process. In other words, when the PKK is dissolved and returns begin, legal steps can also be taken as part of this process. However, it appears that the issue of Öcalan's amnesty, which was initially on the agenda, is now out of the picture. The call is a completely unconditional, without stipulations or demands, call for disarmament. He explains the reason for this with reasons stemming from the PKK itself. Through a kind of self-criticism, he says, 'The PKK's reason for existence has now ceased.'"
The current global conjuncture offers significant advantages for Turkey
Prof. Dr. Kaynak, also stating that there is currently a very important opportunity for Turkey, concluded his words by saying, "This issue has been one of Turkey's most sensitive points for many years, causing damage in many areas, from foreign policy to the economy and social structure. It has worn down Turkey like a continuously bleeding wound. But now, instead of just dressing the wound, we are trying to stop this bleeding. If we succeed in this, very great opportunities will arise for Turkey. The current global conjuncture offers significant advantages for Turkey, and the successful management of this process could greatly contribute to the 'Century of Turkey' vision."