While Turkey’s title deed is being debated...

Ever since hopes were pinned on the terrorist leader in İmralı, such an atmosphere has been created that you would think the PKK was founded/had itself founded just for the sake of it... Now, the terrorist leader in İmralı has aged and wants to get out of prison; those in Qandil are also very tired and will now lay down their arms and surrender!..

It was not even recalled that the PKK was founded for the cause of Sèvres, that terror was a tool rather than an end, and that the goal was to force Turkey to the negotiating table through this method.

Before today's visit to İmralı, there was practically a celebration; it was emphasized that the statement the terrorist leader would make would be "historic."

Let's go back to the beginning.

When the expected call did not emerge from either of the two İmralı visits, AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik stated that "the traffic of visits has been completed," adding, "What is expected from here on out is the emergence of a call regarding the liquidation of the terrorist organization."

MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli, the architect of the new opening, also said that it was his "sincere wish that the expected call be announced as soon as possible."

While this is the case, it was announced that the terrorist leader had sent letters to Qandil, the PYD, northern Iraq, and PKK members in Europe; but no one asked how or by whom these letters were delivered there...

Likewise, the İmralı delegation went on a tour of Barzanistan and informed the Barzanis and Talabanis about the process...

Ultimately, permission for a third visit to İmralı was granted with jet speed the day before yesterday.

Before that, there were debates about the terrorist leader giving his message via video. Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç said, "It is not in accordance with the regulations."

As if everything that has happened so far is perfectly in accordance with the regulations!..

Welcome "Kurdish Question"

I wrote this article planning it for tomorrow, without waiting for the statement the İmralı delegation made in Istanbul. Because no matter how much it is decorated with words like "paradigm," what will be said and what will be demanded is so obvious from the way they have been pursing their lips for months!..

Let's summarize who said what in the process leading up to the statement.

DEM Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan: "Mr. Öcalan will make a historic call. In that historic call... the idea of a democratic Turkey will be put forward... The clocks are now set to Kurdish peace and a democratic Turkey. No one, including the government, can turn back the clocks set to Kurdish peace from this hour on... Öcalan will say very important things. He will shatter the state's rote memorization. He will present a framework that will test how sincere the state is... We will not lose anything. If someone does not take democratic steps after this call, we will have unmasked them... While the world and the Middle East are being reshaped, ours are still implementing 100-year-old policies of denial and rejection... Let the peoples living there decide the reality of northern and eastern Syria... What falls to you is to accept the status of the Kurd... We are a people who own their cause and identity. We will not be those who win on the field but lose at the table, as we were a hundred years ago."

DEM Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları: "There is a greater need for internal peace than ever before. The first step is the democratic solution to the Kurdish question."

DEM Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit: "We know that in a short time, a historic call will come that will be the beginning of a new era in the solution of the Kurdish question, which has exceeded 100 years."

Ahmet Türk: "We are going through a historic turning point. Kurds have paid a great price for many years to explain their existence, their identities, and that they are a people... All this price is to secure the future of our peoples; for a free, democratic future... Kurds had to resist, and they resisted. Öcalan is determined to set out with an understanding that embraces all peoples, of change and transformation."

Let's also look at what was said during the İmralı delegation's meetings in Barzanistan.

PUK leader Bafıl Talabani: "We support any initiative that protects the rights of the Kurdish people in Turkey. As the PUK, we are ready to do our part for this historic process to be successful. The foundation of these efforts was laid with the initiatives started by Mam Jalal [Jalal Talabani] in 1993, and we are continuing this legacy... The Kurdish issue cannot be solved with weapons and war. The only option is to return to a serious and constructive dialogue."

DBP Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır: "Just as Mam Jalal played a great role in the previous peace and solution process, Mr. Bafıl and Qubad Talabani will play an important and historic role in the progress of the current solution and peace process... Let our people in the 4 parts of Kurdistan know that this meeting of ours has revealed that they will support the peace and solution process with all their might... All actors are saying the same thing: Under Öcalan's leadership, all Kurds will achieve important gains."

Nechirvan Barzani: "A serious process has begun in Turkey. We have held many meetings on this subject in Ankara in the recent period, and according to our assessment, this is a positive and serious process for Turks, Kurds, and all peoples living in Turkey... The process is quite clear. The PKK needs to lay down its arms. However, this does not mean 'surrender.' The issue here is that armed struggle and military power can no longer solve the Kurdish issue in Turkey. If there is a Kurdish question, this issue must be solved through dialogue within Turkey... [On the question of whether Öcalan will get involved in politics again] I think within a process, yes. It is not possible for the same model as in Iraq to exist in Turkey, but the process is moving slowly and heavily. Patience, strategy, and continuity are required."

Finally, let's try to guess what might happen after today, noting that the day before yesterday, HÜDA PAR, a partner of the People's Alliance that has officially declared war on the Republic, met with Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil and stated that they "exchanged views on the peace process in Turkey and the steps to be taken to reach a solution."

Either Take Me or Let Them Come

For this, let's look at the first opening-scattering process.

The terrorist leader, who wanted a phrase in the new Constitution that "accepts the existence of Kurds as a people," had the following citizenship clause written by the delegation consisting of Pervin Buldan, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, and Selahattin Demirtaş:

"Every individual who expresses their loyalty to the Republic of Turkey of their own free will is a citizen of the Republic of Turkey. It may not be the Republic of Turkey here, it could just be Turkey."

Anything else?

Apart from a secretariat, some assistants, a press spokesperson, and advisors, he also wanted the terrorists in Qandil to go to and from İmralı... While explaining that laying down arms would happen through a congress, he said, "I may need to attend the congress personally."

What we are saying is; since it is understood that sleeves will be rolled up for the "solution of the Kurdish question" from now on, let us not be surprised if the terrorist leader voices the same demands.

What is the "Important Threshold"?

That is the İmralı-PKK-DEM front. Let's also look at Ankara.

While Turkey's title deed is being debated, the country is buried in discussions about Ekrem İmamoğlu's diploma and his presidential candidacy, so two statements by Erdoğan that remained between the lines did not attract attention.

Erdoğan, who made the first one while returning from his Asia tour in the middle of the month, said the following:

"We will continue to explain that the constitution, which leaves Turkey behind in a changing world and is a shackle on its feet, needs to be renewed. A civil constitution that is conciliatory, unifying, libertarian, and encompasses all segments of society is one of our fundamental goals... On the contrary, this process could create more discussion and participation in society by coming to the agenda before the elections. A new constitution process before the elections will be quite important in terms of both political parties and society expressing their views on this issue. Considering Turkey's diversity and dynamic social structure, the preparation of a new constitution will offer a critical opportunity to create an inclusive and fair framework that takes into account the needs of broad segments of society. All segments of society should evaluate the new constitution as an opportunity for Turkey's future. This process can be not only a political tool but also an important step for social peace and solidarity."

What is it?

The current Constitution is a "shackle" on Turkey's feet... It is important that the new constitution be prepared before the election... A civil constitution that encompasses all segments of society will be an important step for "social peace"!..

Just 9-10 days later, at the AKP Congress, Erdoğan spoke as follows:

"We maintain our goal of crowning our democracy with a new, civil, and inclusive constitution. We have left behind an important threshold in the work we have carried out regarding the constitution, both within our own structure and with various segments of society."

What could that "important threshold" be that was left behind in such a short time regarding the constitution?!

The Secret of the Call Came from Sırrı

Immediately after I finished the article, I listened to the statement of the İmralı delegation.

The terrorist leader's expressions of "non-recognition of the Kurdish reality," "denial of identity," "monolithic interpretations of the Republic," "democratic society," and "crowning the second century of the Republic with democracy" were nothing more than the confirmation of our findings above.

But the real messages that were not in the statement, that is, the conditions for the dissolution of the PKK and laying down arms, were given at the last minute by Sırrı Süreyya Önder. Stating at the end of the press conference that he wanted to share a note from the terrorist leader, Önder said:

"While presenting this perspective, he also conveyed to us the note that, undoubtedly, in practice, the laying down of arms and the self-dissolution of the PKK require the recognition of democratic politics and the legal dimension."

The Turkish translation of these words?

Constitutional recognition... The politicization of the PKK... And the amnesty of terrorists!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

February 27, 2025