Turkey's Peace Foundation publishes report for Kurdish solution

Duvar English

The Peace Foundation in Turkey on Nov. 7 published the report “A Holistic Peace Method for the Kurdish Issue,” authored by Professor Ayşe Betül Çelik of Istanbul’s Sabancı University. 

The report includes examples from around the world and lists recommendations for ending conflict processes.

Peace Foundation President Hakan Tahmaz highlighted regional developments in the Middle East in addition to the events unfolding in Turkey in the report’s introduction. 

"With Israel relying on the U.S. to carry out genocide in Gaza and conduct attacks and assassinations against various countries in the region, those who seek peace and work on conflict resolution are searching for answers to questions like, 'What is happening?' and 'What should be done?'," he wrote. "They are working with cautious optimism to foster hope for peace in society and open new pathways."

Tahmaz further described the report as "a work that can serve as a roadmap for those who desire peace, fight for peace, and work on conflict resolution."

In her report, Professor Çelik explained that the Kurdish issue, a pressing matter for Turkey, includes various problems that must be addressed on multiple levels.

"The 40 years of conflict have created multiple dimensions—socio-economic, political, security, and relational," she said. "Additionally, these issues have caused breakdowns in relationships between the state and Kurdish citizens, between the state and armed groups, between armed groups and Kurdish citizens, and among villagers, village guards, and different societal segments. Numerous peaceful mechanisms need to be activated to positively change these relationships."

Çelik noted that, over time, prolonged conflicts lead to polarized perspectives on peace. "Today, the desire for peace may differ between Turks and Kurds," she said. "The Kurdish issue may drop in prominence on the national agenda from time to time, but it lies at the heart of many other problems, such as democratization, rule of law, and foreign policy, or impacts them.”

The report also emphasized the importance of negotiation in peace processes and explained negotiation stages, adding that negotiation is just one of several peace-building methods. "Dialogue among leaders alone is not enough to achieve and maintain peace," it stated. 

"The Kurdish issue encompasses many problems that affect actors on multiple levels. Dialogue among leaders is necessary to create negative peace—meaning the cessation of violence. However, addressing other issues requires designing additional peacebuilding interventions that align with and complement leader dialogues.”

Çelik noted that a process to recognize Kurds' constitutional rights could involve the parliament as the decision-maker or a national dialogue model could facilitate these discussions. 

Additionally, a holistic peace model can be formed by advancing multiple methods simultaneously on different levels. Legislative arrangements in parliament, inclusive processes, leader-level negotiations, and social integration efforts can serve as pillars of a comprehensive approach. “Coordinating and managing various mechanisms at both the leader and societal levels in alignment produces a healthier process and a more lasting peace," Çelik added. 

The report’s conclusion emphasized that while peace was a goal, it was also the “journey” taken toward that goal wherein downturns and pauses were natural.

For leaders, bringing peace often means maintaining engagement even through pauses and downturns and reassessing changing balances. For peace activists, peace represents the fruit of years of struggle. 

She continued, “If Turkey one day achieves peace, it will not be just because leaders desire it, but also due to the dedication of countless peace activists who have worked tirelessly for it.” 

“Peace that seems to 'arrive suddenly' was, in fact, fostered by continuous efforts during quieter times, when the public was often unaware of the work underway.” 

The report also emphasized the importance of keeping the faith alive and maintaining the peace struggle across various levels. Doing so would prevent the collapse of the process each time a political party leaves the negotiation table. “But if societies claim ownership of the peace process and pressure leaders, returning to the table will always be possible," the report concluded. 

Turkey’s governing coalition member Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on Oct. 1 initiated an unofficial warming up of relations with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party when he shook hands with co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan and other lawmakers at Parliament. 

This moment has led to further discussions, including calls related to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan. Bahçeli has said that Öcalan was welcome to speak at Parliament if he “left terrorism behind,” implying that the party would be open to his release after 25 years under custody.