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The relationship between Kurds and Turks ruined since the establishment Turkish Republic by Mustafa Kamal Ataturk in 1923. Since then the problems and the gaps between the two nations has been widened and left many casualties for both side. The establishment of this state was based on hatred and discrimination which made both side to get rid of each other. The root of the problem is Mustafa Kamala Ataturk and Turkish nationalists rather than Kurds, because throughout history Kurds never wanted more than their rights and that was Turks who occupied Kurdish land.
Kurds in northern part of Kurdistan have the problem of Identity that has been taken by Turkish regimes. To prove this point we can refer to the article 66 in the Turkish constitution which states “everyone bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship is a Turk. The child of a Turkish father or a Turkish mother is a Turk.” Here, we can easily accuse Turkish government for all the grievances between Kurds and Turks.
On the other hand, Kurds couldn’t stand to be exploited and insulted by Turkish nationalists and the government. They chose their own way of struggling soon after new Turkish state founded. So, since then they strived for their rights and the most serious upraising was leaded by Sheikh Sa’id Piran and Said Raza, but Turkish government used all its forces to abandon those and any other Kurdish movement in northern part of Kurdistan. In the Kurdish city of Dersim, Turkey massacred 40 to 50 thousand Kurds and tried so hard to undermine Kurdish Identity. Moreover, the government Turkified every aspects of live and doesn’t left anything in the name of Kurds, the name of the cities and villages were changed to Turkish. In such circumstances, compromising and coexistence not only impossible, but the term of compromising and coexistence has been deleted in Turkish and turkey dictionary.
After the September 1980 Turkish coup d'état, Kurds tried their luck another time and started fighting against Turkish regime to attain their rights. This movement leaded by a group of Kurdish Youth Activists and Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan (Apo). They created Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and struggled for independent and demanded Kurdish national and cultural rights. Soon the PKK became the dominant Kurdish organization and political party among Northern Kurds and was the most sever Kurdish movement for turkey. In 1984, the PKK started guerrilla warfare against turkey. Hence, the results of the war left over 40 thousands of civil and military casualties. Further, Hundreds were departure, thousands has been arrested, houses were distracted and more than 2000 villages have been vanished. For that reason, the relationship between two ethnic groups downturned as a whole. The foundation of the PKK gave another shape to the Kurdish movement in this part of Kurdistan and awakened Kurds people to demand their rights.
Now, the PKK guerillas sheltered in the mountainous areas of Qandil, which is located in Kurdistan Region, approximately 50 km south of turkey, Kurdistan, and Iran tripoint. This creates a new problem between Turkish government and the KRG. Turkey has been asked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) many times to take action against the PKK camps in Qandil and dismiss them. However, the KRG refused any attempts toward military solution for this giant issue and asked both sides to solve their problems through negotiation and dialogue. Those issues got worst during the Turkish election in 2008, when Turkey military intervened to KRG for fighting the PKK Freedom Fighters. However, Turkey was highly condemned by the international organizations, KRG and central government for crossing the Iraqi sovereignty. Surprisingly, after AK party that leads by Racab Tayp Erdoğanwon the election, they created a so called new climate for solving Kurdish issue in Turkey and normalizing its relationship with KRG.
The AK party presented a strategic project “opening toward democracy” for solving the issue of Kurdish people in Turkey. Even this has confronted many challenges by secularists and nationalist forces like MHP and CHP, or in the other word the Kamalists, but Erdoğancould come up with conclusion that Kurdish issue must be solved in Turkey. At the beginning, this developed the relationship between Kurds and Turkey within Turkey and KRG, Turkey on the other hand. However, the attempts were not serious and thought the Turkish Prime Minister play a foxy game with Kurds to attract Kurdish voters.
Kurdish Political parties and amongst DTP at that time welcomed this steps and wished Justice and Development Party (AKP) enthusiastically solve Kurdish problem in Turkey. However, few weeks after Erdoğan’s project released, the pro-PKK, DTP closed and 23 of its member were banned in political activities for five years by the national court of turkey for their supports to separatist according to court. Ahmed Turk a leader of DTP was one of them who smacked by a Turkish nationalists in Samsun after his banning. This is again made Kurdish people to go on the streets to condemn Turkish authorities for disrespecting Kurdish leaders. Many people were jailed and wounded after serious riots in Kurdish cities. So, by analyzing recent political environment in Turkey, we can figure out that Kurdish issue is still remained unsolved and Erdogan plan has been failed to fulfill its goals.
Erdoğanis trying to deceive Kurdish people by saying something and acting in reverse. The most clear example hypocritical politics of Erdoğanis the recent Turkish oppression in the name of KCK which resulted in arresting 8 thousands Kurdish politicians, journalists, human right activists and many others for having connection with the PKK. Also, the Kurdish Peace Democratic Party and its members which has 36 MP in Turkish Parliament faced many obstacles by the Turkish government and in many cases Turkey uses courts to accuse them for having links with terror. So, the problems between Kurds and Turks remained intake.
Even though, the relationship between Kurds and Turkish to some extent improved in the last few years, but in conclusion we can say there is still tension and disagreement. Nationalists (MHP, CHP) are still strong in in Turkey and refuse any rights for Kurds, but all in all the political dimension is in the best of Kurds. To solve the Kurdish issue, turkey must first admit Kurdish rights without any preconditions and has to change constitution. With having the constitution which denies the existence of Kurdish people,www.ekurd.net the tensions would never settle. Kurds, after the Turkish bombardment of Qandil and killing many civilians in Kurtek and Roboskey, Turkey left no hopes for Kurds to solve their problems through peaceful negotiation and strengthen their relationship.
On the other hand, in term of the KRG, the Kurdish government wants to play a positive role by advising both sides for peaceful negotiation. The KRG is now trying to improve its relationship with Turkey. Turkish prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs and many Turkish diplomats visited Kurdistan to normalize relations. Kurdish government gives a special insight to Turkey; because Turkey is an important country for KRG that helps its economic growth. Besides, the stabilizing security in this region depends on the Kurds-Turks relationship. None of them can deny others, because both parts are complementary for each other’s. Since Turkish companies achieve the major share of the foreign direct investment in Kurdistan, any clashes between Kurds and Turksput serious threat son these companies and both side loose their interests. Maybe it suffers Turkish economy more than the Kurdistan Region because there are many other foreign companies’ wishes to replace Turkish companies with better quality.
All in all, the recent events in Turkey tell us, there are still many obstacles in the road of peace between Kurds and Turks. It’s true that Kurdish case passed to the new stage and there are hopes for retaining their basic rights. However, if AKP fails to overcome obstacles, the situation may explode. AKP must have a vivid and direct policy toward Kurds because the current situation in Turkey takes Kurds-Turks to more clashes and further tension. The KCK operation is the most serious issue that may explode anytime and would result in popular uprising among Kurds. Of course in case of upraising Kurds in other parts of Kurdistan supports their brothers. So, it’s not in the best of Turks and Turkish regime to behave in such ways while none of the authoritarian regimes ever ruled for life. By arresting Kurds, closing political parties, newspapers, magazines, turkifiying Kurdish cities, the Kurds-Turks relationship never retain to the healthy relationship. We are living in the age of globalization, the time of ethnic cleansing and exploitation passed away. So, turkey if insists on the same rhythm it would pass away just like sick man or old man (Ottoman Empire). Its inevitable and not arguable, Kurdish issue in turkey has to be solves before taking a new era which may results further tension. Turkey has to find a peaceful solution for the Kurdish issues and consider their ethnic and cultural rights. Fighting is not the best alternative for Kurds, neither Turks, but Kurds cannot wait until the end of life if the Turkish government doesn’t have ear to listen. The Kurdistan Regional government can play its major role in settling problems and put more pressure on Turkey to solve Kurds issue, in regard to the Kurdish side; Kurds are seriously wishes to solve their problems through negotiation but not Turks as a big brother. Also, the KRG can convince the PKK to further concentrate on negotiation. Lastly to evaluate Kurds-Turks relationship; I can say there is a dim relation of Kurds-Turkey and there is possibility to shift in an expected direction.
NabazShwany, Bachelor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Kurdistan-Hewler. Currently, he is a PhD. student at the school of Government, Public Management Department, University of Utara, Malaysia.
For eKurd.net, April 7, 2012.
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