Berdan Öztürk: We Must All Return to President Mam Jalal’s Project

The peace process in Northern Kurdistan and the role played by President Mam Jalal and the Turkish authorities in the early 1990s to address the Kurdish issue within the framework of the Turkish state was a positive step after nearly eight years of bloody conflict. Both Kurds and Turks reached the conclusion that violence and armed conflict would yield no results and that the ultimate solution lay in returning to negotiations and achieving peace. Some politicians believe that the true foundation for peace lies in revisiting the proposal put forth by President Mam Jalal in the early 1990s to President Özal and Abdullah Öcalan, aimed at achieving peace and stability.
Berdan Öztürk, the Head of Foreign Relations for the Peoples’ Democratic Party, stated:
"Any step toward resolving the Kurdish issue is of great importance. Any move toward peace is something we, as the Peoples’ Democratic Party, will embrace and reciprocate twofold. We have always extended a hand of peace to steer Turkey away from internal conflict and to resolve issues peacefully."
In this context, Öztürk cited President Mam Jalal’s statement:
"Northern Kurdistan is the key to fundamentally resolving the Kurdish issue. If the Kurdish problem is resolved there, it will be resolved in other regions as well."
He added:
"Throughout Turkey’s history, there have been numerous instances of denial of Kurdish existence, language, and culture. However, time has proven that such denial leads nowhere. The true solution lies in encouraging brotherhood and mutual acceptance between Kurds, Turks, and all other ethnic and religious groups. Kurds and other peoples in Turkey are now increasingly aware of their rights to cultural, linguistic, political, and administrative participation."
Öztürk highlighted the significant historical value of President Mam Jalal, describing him as the architect of the peace process in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. He noted that Mam Jalal had developed a strong and comprehensive plan for resolving the Kurdish issue, a plan documented in various memoirs.
He urged all Kurdish political parties and forces to act in line with President Mam Jalal’s vision and steps to achieve internal peace among Kurds and with other nations in the region. Öztürk emphasized that internal peace is the first step toward becoming stronger and securing rights. He also referenced ongoing efforts initiated in October 2024 by Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli, describing them as the third phase of the resolution process following the efforts in 1993 and 2012.