ISTANBUL - HDK Co-Spokesperson Meral Danış Beştaş said, "There was a resistance against the isolation and the meeting was not allowed. As a result of this resistance, this meeting is being held today as a result of the calls that started on 1 October and the events that continued afterwards."

 

Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), East-Southeast Associations (DGD) Platform and Karakoçan Federation of Associations (KAR-DEF) organised a panel titled “The key to living together; we talk about peace and dialogue”. A large number of Civil Society Organisation (CSO) members participated in the panel held at Korudibi-Dumluyazı Villages Culture and Solidarity Association (KORUDUM-DER) in Ümraniye district.

 

The panel on social peace was moderated by Abdulaziz Akyol, Co-Chairman of KAR-DEF, while HDK Co-Spokesperson Meral Danış Beştaş, DGD President Abdülhakim Daş and HDK Peoples Beliefs Assembly member Arife Çınar took part as speakers.

 

‘This meeting is vital in the midst of war’

 

Speaking afterwards, HDK Co-spokesperson Meral Danış Beştaş emphasised that Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) MPs Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan had a meeting with PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan who is being held in İmralı Island. Meral Danış Beştaş said, "There was a resistance against the isolation and the meetings were not allowed. As a result of this resistance, this meeting is being held today as a result of the calls that started on 1 October and the events that continued afterwards. This meeting is of vital importance in the middle of the war."

 

We will continue our meetings'

 

Meral Danış Beştaş reminded that the HDK held its general congress in November and emphasised that with the congress, the HDK identified peace as their primary goal. Meral Danış Beştaş continued her speech as follows: "The solution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey through democratic means, not only for the Kurdish people, but also for all the peoples of Turkey, is to develop the sensitivity of the society on the issue of peace. We have decided to inform the society about the Kurdish issue, to carry out the necessary discussions on a 100-year background and to socialise peace. And in accordance with this congress decision, we are planning to hold a big international peace conference in Istanbul on 8-9 February. And before this conference, we are planning to organise peace meetings, peace talks, panels and interviews all over Turkey.   We will continue our meetings in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Eskişehir, Konya, Aydın, Mersin and many other regions."

 

‘An epic resistance was put forward in Kobanê’

 

Meral Danış Beştaş, who also evaluated the attacks of Turkey and paramilitary groups supported by Turkey against Northern and Eastern Syria, said: "An epic resistance was put forward in Kobanê. When the whole world talks about Kurds, they say examples of resistance in Kobanê. Turkey declares a people there as ‘terrorists’ by calling YPG, PYD, YPJ ‘terrorists’. Today, more than five million people live in Northern and Eastern Syria. They have established their own administration there. As the AKP government weakened, it increased its hostility towards the Kurds. This is what we need to break. We have a responsibility to raise the Kurdish people's demand for social peace together with other peoples. That is for us to live in this country as equal citizens under equal conditions without being the other.”