The Latest Report of the International Crisis Group on the Kurdish Issue Discussed The report assesses the peace process Turkey carries on to solve the Kurdish and PKK issues.

ANKARA – TEPAV hosted a meeting to discuss the International Crisis Group (ICG) report titled “Crying ‘Wolf’: Why Turkish Fears Need not Block Kurdish Reform” on Thursday, 10 October 2013.

The meeting was moderated by TEPAV EU Institute Director Nilgün Arısan Eralp. Keynote speakers of the meeting were ’in Hugh Pope, ICG Turkey/Cyprus Project Director, and Didem Akyel Collinsworth, ICG Analyst and author of the report. Akyel Collinsworth talked about the major findings of the report that assessed the peace process Turkey has been carrying on to solve the Kurdish and PKK issues:

-          “Peace talks between Ankara and the PKK have stalled amid a heightening of hostile rhetoric on both sides. The PKK needs to do more to convince Turks it wants a compromise peace; the government needs to spell out a comprehensive conflict-resolution strategy, including democratic reforms, not as a concession to insurgents but because reforms would both satisfy Kurds’ demands and benefit everyone in the country.

-          Turkish politicians use fear of a nationalist backlash to justify their hesitation to address some of Turkey’s Kurds’ main grievances. In fact, the government’s previous steps on linguistic and cultural rights for Kurds faced minimal public reaction. Despite the hardline discourse of the political opposition, most mainstream Turks can embrace democratic reforms.

-          The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has broken taboos in its outreach to Turkey’s Kurds, but it needs to recommit to a new constitution and laws that eliminate all ethnic bias, to full education in mother languages, to lowering the 10 per cent electoral threshold, to strengthening local government and to changing anti-terror laws to decriminalize non-violent dissent.

-          The Kurdish national movement, including the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), needs to stop issuing threats that fuel Turkish fears of Kurdish secession or a resurgence of violence; to denounce parallel state formations inside Turkey, including local militias; and to maintain commitment to the existing ceasefire.”

Following the presentation, Pope and Akyel Collinsworth answered questions of the audience.

Please click here for the report.