Leader Abdullah Ocalan: Diplomatic efforts must be accelerated for democratic Syria

Leader Abdullah Ocalan and other detainees, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş, Zeki Bayhan, Mahmut Yamalak, and Erkin Atabey, met with their families on June 7, on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

In this meeting, Leader Abdullah Ocalan met with the children for the first time in 26 years. The meeting was also attended by Ali Ocalan, his nephew, and his nephew, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Parti) parliamentarian in Urfa, Ömer Öcalan. Ali Öcalan's two daughters also attended the meeting in Imrali.

Parliamentarian Omer Ocalan spoke to Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about the details of the meeting with Leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Who did he ask about, and to whom did he send greetings?

Ömer Ocalan explained that they had a long meeting and that many topics were discussed. He stated the following in this regard: “In the first 15-20 minutes of the meeting, Leader Ocalan talked about the village and the family, asked about some family members and sent his greetings to them. After that, we moved on to talk about some topics and expressed our impressions regarding the cities we had visited. We told him about the visits and ceremonies held for Ali Haydar Kaytan and Riza Altun, and conveyed the greetings of the families of the two comrades. Leader APO asked about the conditions of the two families and sent his greetings to them. Then we mentioned that we had visited Mazlum Doğan’s family and conveyed the greetings of the family to him. Leader Ocalan also sent his greetings to the Doğan family, spoke about Mazlum and Delil Doğan, and explained to him that the two brothers were lying next to each other. He said, ‘We will work to keep their struggle and the legacy they left us alive. We are loyal to all martyrs.’ Then he conveyed his greetings to the family of Farhad Kurtay, leader APO spoke about his four comrades (Farhad Kurtay, Ashraf Anik, Mahmut Zengin, and Necmi Oner) who set themselves on fire in the face of injustice in Amed Prison. He asked about the location of Farhad Kurtay’s shrine and sent his greetings to the family. He also sent his greetings to Ali Çiçek’s family, asked about the location of Ali Çiçek’s shrine, asked about those who were martyred in Amed Prison, spoke about the village of Khors in the Qoser district of Merdin, and spoke about some of the events that took place there. Ömer Öcalan stated that those released after 30 years of imprisonment conveyed their greetings to Leader APO, adding: “Leader APO said, ‘Those who have been imprisoned for 30 years must lead this nation. Wherever they are, those who have been imprisoned must lead society and fulfill their role and mission well.’ He sent his greetings to all those released after 30 years of imprisonment, and to the families of the martyrs.”

"Our model must be shared among students." Omer Öcalan, a parliamentarian from the Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Parti), stated that developments in the world and the region, as well as the situation in Rojava, were discussed during the meeting. He continued, "We talked about Kobani University. Before the meeting, there was a dialogue seminar at the university, and I participated in that dialogue seminar via the internet. Academics and students sent their greetings to Leader APO, and we mentioned this to him. Leader APO asked, 'Is there a university in Kobani? How many students does it have?' I told him there was a good university there with more than 1,500 students. He, in turn, made some assessments of the university." He said, "Those who provide education must provide it in accordance with democratic modernity. Capitalist modernity must not have any influence on education. The teachers who provide education must be inspired by our ideology and be influenced by it. They must share our model with the students. If this is done, it will be much better. I place great importance on education. We always read and discuss here."

"Diplomatic efforts for a democratic Syria must be accelerated."

Omar Öcalan emphasized that Leader APO drew attention to the talks between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the transitional government in Syria. He added, "Eight points have been signed between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham." He added that these talks must be accelerated. He explained, "According to what I see and follow, the talks between the Kurds and the transitional government in Syria are progressing slowly. They should be accelerated. A government may emerge in Syria in the coming period. For us, it is important for Syria to be strong and based on democratic rights. With a democratic Syria, diplomatic efforts must be accelerated. On the one hand, Damascus represents the religious orientation."

The Peoples' Democracy Party (DEM Parti) must increase its votes in the Black Sea region.

Omer Öcalan also stated that the situation of the Peoples' Democracy Party (DEM Parti) was also on the agenda. He said: "Leader APO then said, 'The path of democratic politics is open to the Peoples' Democracy Party (DEM Parti). The Peoples' Democracy Party (DEM Parti) must hold conferences and meetings everywhere. The people who speak at the conferences and meetings must be people who know, explain, and interpret our model well. Our views must be exchanged with the people. The Peoples' Democracy Party's votes must increase in the Black Sea region as well.

It must increase its strength everywhere.

The Peoples' Democracy Party (DEM Parti) has had many opportunities to pursue broad-based politics. The Peoples' Democracy Party (DEM Parti) must demonstrate its capabilities in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and Central Anatolia, where there is an economic crisis and poverty throughout Turkey. We have friends among the workers in... Many cities, the Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Partî) must work for this. There is a crisis, the economic situation is bad, poverty is great, and workers can no longer earn a living. The Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Partî) must move towards addressing these issues and increase its strength everywhere."

"If you get 20% of the votes, you will take power in the country." Ömer Öcalan continued, "He said that there must be renewal in everything from now on. During the meeting, the 52-year struggle was analyzed, and on the other hand, the new policy and the new model of life were discussed. Leader APO expressed his views on these issues, saying, 'We have some friends, we have comrades from the Black Sea region within the ranks of the HDP. They must start working in the Black Sea region, and they must begin working in all major cities in Turkey. As the HDP, if it gets the 20% threshold, those in power in this country will be the ones who will be in power. You can change many things and be partners in power. Therefore, you must transform your capabilities into votes. With a democratic policy, the HDP's votes will exceed the 20% threshold. Then, a more effective policy will be implemented in the Middle East.' Leader APO analyzes the HDP. Peoples, and he believes that diplomatic efforts that do not yield results must be changed. There must not be repetition in politics, but rather there must be change and transformation in politics, and this change and transformation must crystallize in the party and in politicians alike.

T/S
ANHA