Egyptian researcher: Abdullah Ocalan's call is a fundamental shift

On February 27, Leader Abdullah Ocalan made a historic appeal for peace and democracy, after which the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) declared a ceasefire and its support for the peace process.

A qualitative and fundamental shift

Professor of modern and contemporary history at Damanhour University in Egypt, Dr. Muhammad Rifat Al-Imam, spoke about this to ANHA's agency, saying: “The call for peace and democratic society launched by the political activist and international thinker Abdullah Ocalan is a qualitative and fundamental shift in Abdullah Ocalan’s peace project that he adopted, whether in his armed struggle phase or in his diplomatic phase and political paths.”

He explained: “Abdullah Ocalan succeeded, through his call for peace and democratic society, in striking one of the most prominent constants of Turkish ideology, especially the nationalist parties and the ruling regime. The thinker and activist also succeeded, through his project, in highlighting the good intentions and seriousness of the Kurds, and Ankara is now facing a credibility test regarding a just solution to the Kurdish issue.”

The Imam pointed out that "in reality, the chauvinistic extremist Turkish mentality was the most prominent obstacle in the paths of settling the Kurdish issue, and the Turkish regime is expected to take real and honest practical steps to convince the Kurds before regional and international public opinion. The question here is, will Ankara abandon the strategy of exclusion and extremism against the Kurds? The peace called for by Abdullah Ocalan comes after an armed struggle that lasted for more than four decades between the Turkish regimes and the Kurdish movement to recognize the Kurdish identity and the political and civil rights of the Kurds in light of Ankara's complete denial of the Kurdish existence."

Leader Abdullah Ocalan's project is characterized by flexibility.

The Egyptian researcher confirmed that "the fighter and thinker Abdullah Ocalan is characterized by the flexibility of his project for peace in the Middle East. Now he realizes that the armed struggle has shown its role, and he called for an alternative path through peace and democratic society. Therefore, the most prominent fundamental transformations are the call of the founding father and ideological theorist of the Kurdistan Workers' Party to disarm and dissolve the party through a conference after he always defended armed resistance as a means to secure Kurdish rights. Therefore, Abdullah Ocalan believes that armed struggle is no longer an appropriate mechanism according to regional and international geopolitical variables."

He added: “One of Abdullah Ocalan’s flexible ideas is that he replaced Kurdish national aspirations with the model of a democratic society. Thus, the encyclopedic thinker and expert politician Abdullah Ocalan rejected the establishment of a Kurdish national state, a federation, or self-rule. There is no fundamental contradiction between the concept of the democratic nation, which is the core of the entire project, and the democratic society that he is currently proposing, which is a concept that strongly supports partnership between the various ethnic and religious components without establishing, creating, or creating separatist entities.”

He added: "But this flexible proposal by Abdullah Ocalan will clash with the mentality of the Turkish regimes that dealt with everything Kurdish from a chauvinistic, investigative security perspective. In return, how will the Kurds of Turkey accept this ideology and how will they implement it?"

Regarding the effects of this historic call, the Imam explained that "if this historic call is activated, Turkey will benefit in several ways. First, improving its image before international public opinion regarding human rights, and this may lead to the revival of the dream of joining the European Union, which always criticizes the strategies of suppressing the Kurds by the Turkish regime. Second, reducing military spending in southeastern Turkey, which allows the Turkish regime to establish economic projects that raise the status of Turkey, which is facing economic crises."

The Turkish mentality threatens hopes for peace

Al-Imam did not hide his fear, saying: "Most likely, and according to previous major historical experiences, the deep state will lead to the failure to complete this peaceful initiative, especially since the current Turkish constitution is based on the idea of Turkish nationalism and is the foundation of the state, which means that any constitutional amendments or changes may be violently confronted by the nationalist movement as well as the Islamic movement."

He explained: "There is no doubt that Abdullah Ocalan's call for peace requires amending the Turkish constitution to enhance the rights of the Kurds, including, for example, the use of the Kurdish language in education and official media, opening the political arena for Kurdish parties to participate politically and not arrest them on charges of terrorism or communicating with terrorist groups, and developing a local formula that guarantees the Kurds the management of their own affairs without separation from the body of the state."

He added: "I am very afraid, based on the constants of the Turkish mentality and previous Turkish-Kurdish experiences, that the Turkish regime will exploit this call for peace to eliminate the Kurdistan Workers' Party, and even eliminate every Kurdish movement without offering any privileges or concessions to the Kurds."

 He warned that "the Kurdish-Turkish dialogue may be a political game to weaken the rise of the Kurdish movement or a tactical game within Turkish-American-Israeli interests to deliver a strong blow against the strong Kurdish movement. Therefore, we must not be deceived for the thousandth time by the Turkish regime, and I call on the concerned Kurdish parties to request international guarantees from the United Nations so that they do not fall into the trap of Turkish negotiations."

T/S

ANHA