Aleppo tension: Sharp reaction from DEM Party to ministers

Tensions have risen once again on Syrian soil. Developments regarding the clashes between the Syrian army and YPG/SDF forces in Aleppo have dominated the agenda in Turkey. Recent statements by Turkish authorities have drawn a sharp reaction from the DEM Party.

DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan criticized the statements made by the Ministry of National Defense and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regarding the developments in the region, stating, "As long as Turkey does not play its role, it should be well known that in the eyes of 60 million Kurds, Turkey will remain a country that pursues an anti-Kurdish policy. The Ministry of National Defense has made a statement saying that if they call us, we are ready to enter there and fight on the field alongside those ISIS gangs, paramilitary forces, and HTS members. This is not the Minister of National Defense of Syria, but the Minister of National Defense of Turkey."

In his remarks, Bakırhan expressed his confusion as to why the Minister of National Defense is directly involved in the clashes in Aleppo, saying, "Why are the clashes in other parts of Syria not of such concern to our Minister of National Defense? When it comes to Kurds, they immediately stand at attention. To say that Kurds are not complying with the March 10 Agreement is shameful and disgraceful. It is the Damascus government itself that is not complying with the March 10 Agreement. There is a serious perception operation underway."

Bakırhan stated that the process is heading toward conflict rather than peace, adding, "We started a process to heal our wounds, and some are making every effort to ensure these wounds do not heal. Everyone in the country says that the internal front needs to be strengthened. What is this rush to war? Are we going to strengthen the internal front by beating, killing, and exiling Kurds? The statement made by the Minister of National Defense is a statement that undermines the hope for internal peace. Turkey's duty is not to rush quickly to battlefields, but to create new areas of peace."

Emphasizing the historical and sociological ties of Kurds living in Syria to Turkey, Bakırhan assessed, "Kurds in Syria are our relatives. A border was drawn 100 years ago; half remained there, half remained here. One should have a conscience. A bureaucrat of a minister in a country where 25 million Kurdish citizens live should, if only for the sake of those 25 million, protect their kin and relatives. Ours are showing hostility and opposition toward them. This policy is not politics."

Bakırhan also objected to the Foreign Minister's statements regarding Aleppo, saying, "The Foreign Minister also jumped into the fray, saying, 'The SDF showed its true intentions in Aleppo.' It is the HTS and ISIS forces attacking Aleppo. They are attacking places where civilians live; there are no SDF members there, and the SDF has no artillery or weapons there. It is the HTS that is showing its true intentions, it is you, and it is the policies that pushed the HTS there. Kurds are not a threat; the ISIS members who fired at police in Yalova are the threat."

Pointing to the role Kurds have played in the country's history, Bakırhan said, "For a thousand years, Kurds have not tripped you up or stabbed you in the back. They ensured the founding of this country by putting their lives and blood on the line during the War of Independence. When have Kurds ever been a threat to you? The administrators of this country must abandon this language and this approach immediately."

REACTION FROM DEM PARTY ON THE STREETS

The clashes in Aleppo were met with protests in many cities, primarily in Diyarbakır. Speaking at a march led by the DEM Party in Diyarbakır, DEM Party Diyarbakır MP Serhat Eren stated, "We will not take a step back until these attacks cease."

News Source: 12punto