Are you sure the families of martyrs and veterans are not hurt?!

In his Eid al-Adha message, Erdoğan, who also spoke of the goal of a "Terror-free Turkey," specifically underlined the following: "We have never allowed any initiative that would torment the souls of our martyrs or hurt our martyrs' families and veterans; and we will never allow it from now on."

Is that how it has been, or is it happening; let us take a snapshot of what has been experienced so far.

While a decision for "dissolution and laying down arms" was taken at the so-called congress of the separatist terrorist organization PKK, the title deed of the Republic of Turkey, the Treaty of Lausanne, and the 1924 Constitution were pointed to as the source of the so-called "Kurdish issue."

Even Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, one of the partners of the People's Alliance, said, "There is no view regarding any regret for the armed struggle in the statement made. On the contrary, it is stated that the armed struggle is justified and legitimate," while the main actor of the process, MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli, not only ignored the messages targeting Lausanne and longing for the 1921 Constitution, but also offered his thanks and gratitude to "the delegations conducting the traffic of meetings with the PKK's founding leader Abdullah Öcalan."

THE US-PKK'S LAUSANNE CALCULATION

DEM co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan, who was asked about the expressions regarding Lausanne and 1924, gave the following answer:

"If the process progresses, you can ask this question to its interlocutors."

It seems that if the process progresses, other terrorist leaders who gathered the so-called congress, Murat Karayılan and Duran Kalkan, will also be considered "interlocutors" besides the terrorist leader in İmralı, as he is pointing to them as the address!..

Despite Bakırhan's evasive words, DEM Group Deputy Chairman Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit explicitly stated the following:

"We need a real confrontation. What happened in Lausanne is a truth, and the place where that monolithic structure in the '24 Constitution brought the country is also a truth."

The government's most famous pen, Abdülkadir Selvi, also made the defense: "The emphasis on Lausanne bothers me too. Because it is not true... This is a statement by the PKK terrorist organization. It is presenting some justifications to convince its own base."

That it is not so was almost shoved in our faces by both the new US Ambassador to Ankara and Trump's Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, who linked the "setbacks regarding the Kurds" to Lausanne. But our officials, like the PKK, remained silent against Barrack.

The PKK's so-called decision to dissolve and lay down arms was met with enthusiasm; let us summarize what the terrorist leaders there said:

Murat Karayılan, a member of the PKK/KCK's so-called executive council, ordered that the state must take legal steps in return for the decision they would take to end the armed struggle... First of all, he demanded that the "physical freedom" of the terrorist leader be ensured and that the mentality of denial and annihilation be changed... He claimed that the terrorist leader's call was for "democratic confederalism," that the guerrillas and the PKK had written an epic, and that the state wanted to achieve results through war but could not defeat them, saying, "This is not an end, but a new beginning."

The other terrorist leader, Duran Kalkan, also announced that the activities of other structures within the KCK would continue.

As is known, at that so-called congress, Ali Haydar Kaytan and Rıza Altun, who were killed in operations carried out by the MIT in 2018 and 2019, were declared "martyrs." Following this, memorial ceremonies were held for those two terrorists all over the country. But apart from Tunceli Governor Bülent Tekbıyıkoğlu, no one felt uncomfortable with this. Moreover, after the Governor left his post, there was not even a need to make a statement to the nation; it was as if such an event had not taken place.

DEM MEMBERS AND THE GOVERNMENT'S LANGUAGE

Let us return to the statements and actions of the DEM members, to whom Bahçeli offered his "thanks and gratitude" and whom he welcomed by saying "you have honored us."

For example, DEM Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan; threatened by saying, "We are facing a historical choice. Either we will rebuild Kurdish and Turkish relations on a democratic basis, or we will be consumed within the disaster scenario of the Middle East," and spoke of "creating an example for the Middle East"...

Regarding the village guards, he said, "When the conflicts end, we will not leave the village guards unemployed. Take the gun from his hand, give him a stick, let him tend to animals in the village. It is a more honorable duty." While supposedly apologizing following the reactions, he slipped in the remark that "village guards are a result of the current lack of solutions" and "a ground that emerged because the Kurdish issue was not solved."

During the holiday, he called Bafel Talabani, whom Turkey has imposed an embargo on, in addition to the Barzanis. It was reported that during the meeting, Bakırhan said, "Just as in previous periods, Mr. Barzani's role and support are needed for the peace process to progress at the current stage and in the future," and Nechirvan Barzani replied, "We will continue our support for this process. The peace process is an opportunity and this opportunity should not be wasted."

The other Co-Chair, Tülay Hatimoğulları, wanted Turkey to visit the PKK/YPG in northern Syria and for delegations coming from there to be hosted in Turkey... Regarding the new Constitution, she pointed to a "new social contract" that includes "education in the mother tongue and an inclusive definition of citizenship," noting that MHP Leader Bahçeli's emphasis on a "new identity" is important... And stating that unsolved murders should be brought to light, she said, "This historical confrontation, this genuine confrontation must take place."... In other words, just like in the first solution process, she brought the questioning of the fight against terrorism to the agenda.

DEM Group Deputy Chairman Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit demanded "legal guarantees" for the opening.

Ahmet Türk ordered as follows:

"We hope that both the Kurds and the state will own this process. Kurdish parties and politicians, wherever they are in any part of Kurdistan, should do good work for peace. Everyone should own this process initiated by Mr. Öcalan. Politicians in the North, South, East, and West should support this process."

While Öztürk Türkdoğan, one of the spokespersons for DEM, stated that the process would be carried out under the leadership of the terrorist leader, he said, "Mr. Öcalan's working conditions need to be improved further. Communication with him should be established more frequently, and his meeting with the societies and peoples of Turkey should be ensured. It is very important for representatives, journalists, intellectuals, writers, and deputies to meet with Öcalan, convey their thoughts, and for Öcalan to address the society."

Let us look at the language of our officials in response to these.

After years of explaining to the world that the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were actually the PYD/YPG, and finally approving Sweden and Finland's NATO membership in exchange for them supposedly recognizing these as terrorist organizations, with the opening, first Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, then Erdoğan, and finally AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik began to call the PYD/YPG "SDF" instead.

Our officials also ignored the demand of their process partner, DEM, to lift the reservations placed on the European Charter of Local Self-Government!..

GETTING USED TO THE "FOUNDING LEADER"

Let us open a separate heading for the MHP.

During the holiday, Bahçeli once again called the terrorist leader "founding leader" at the grave of Alparslan Türkeş...

While he had reacted to the suggestion of politics and the TBMM as the address for the solution of the "Kurdish issue" just 3.5 years ago with the words, "It is an appetite and passion to stain the national will with traitorous separatists... Seeing baby killers as legitimate, aiming to establish the conditions for meeting, talking, and agreeing with them is cruelty, disgrace, and hostility to Turkey," he proposed the establishment of a 100-member commission in Parliament with the goal of a "terror-free Turkey"...

At the MHP-DEM holiday greeting; DEM member Zülküf Uçar assessed that the establishment of the commission proposed by Bahçeli was "important both in terms of the socialization of the process and the legal dimension of the process." MHP Deputy Chairman Zühal Topçu also said that they thought the issue would "continue more quickly" after it moved to Parliament...

An MHP official warned the families of martyrs and veterans who protested the process, saying, "It is insolence to let anyone say a word about the families of martyrs to my State Bey (Bahçeli), and you will be held accountable for this. Whether with patience or however you wait, but know that there is little time left, know this as such."

In short; are you sincerely sure that what is happening does not "torment the souls of our martyrs, and does not hurt our martyrs' families and veterans," and even the entire Turkish Nation?.. If so, I wonder which universe you are living in?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

June 9, 2025