Unity and Progressive parties call on Turkey to join efforts for peace process

The Kurdish Progressive Democratic Party in Syria and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria (Unity) issued a joint statement on the 12th Congress of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), stressing that nearly twenty-seven years after the arrest and isolation of leader Abdullah Ocalan in Imrali prison, the solidarity campaigns for his release continue, with the participation of millions of Kurds as well as many human rights activists, award-winning academics, and parliamentary circles, in addition to the efforts and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the defense team of the late African leader Nilson Mandila.

The parties explained: "In this context, leader Abdullah Ocalan's peaceful appeals have been repeated more than once, the last of which was his famous appeal on February 27, in which he clearly called for renouncing violence and weapons and adopting the language of peace and dialogue to resolve issues and differences." And the two parties stated also "Accordingly, the PKK held its twelfth congress on May 5-7, which concluded with a final statement that was welcomed and respected by most political parties and circles inside and outside Turkey, in which it called for laying down arms and dissolving itself."

The Unity and Progressive parties welcomed the historic step taken by the PKK, saying: "It is in the direction of renouncing violence and fighting completely and finding a just solution to the Kurdish issue, and we call on all concerned parties in Turkey and its neighborhood to move forward towards concerted efforts to put a final end to bloodshed and work together to promote a peaceful climate and protect coexistence, away from repression and discrimination, to ensure everyone a decent life and a safe and prosperous future."

Sh-S

ANHA