No turning back for Kurds now, Turkey’s HDP leader says

 

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region-- The Kurdish people will protect their achievements and no force will be able to take their gains away from them, says a confident Nadir Yildirim, MP for Van and co-vice chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) in an exclusive interview with Rudaw.

 

Yildirim who visited the Kurdistan Region last week along with a top HDP delegation says unity and agreement are crucial for the Kurds to preserve their achievements throughout the Kurdish lands and calls for further dialogues among Kurdish factions.

 

He also speaks about the conditions in Syrian Kurdistan and in Turkey in a new era that he believes is different from a century ago when the Kurds were divided by the imperial powers.

 

Below is a translation of the interview conducted in Erbil.

 

Rudaw: In a meeting in Erbil, the HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtas said, "the Kurds are on the crossroads (are about to cross the Al-Sirat Bridge"). What was he implying?

 

Nadir Yildirim: The imperial powers created a new system in the Middle East according to the Treaty of Lausanne a century ago. In that new system the Kurds were regarded as "non existent." Their land was divided into four parts. A hundred years later what was agreed on in Lausanne has been dismantled. The Treaty bears no significance in our time. We are on the verge of witnessing a new system in the Middle East. All the wars that are fought currently are on the basis of generating the new system in this region. This situation has brought about new historical opportunities for the Kurds. Since neither the world nor the Middle East are the same as they were hundred years ago. Neither are the Kurds the same people they were at the down of the twentieth century. This process is therefore seen as historical. What the Kurds achieve now will last at least throughout this century. But if we fail, we will miss another century. This is a point that Mr. Demirtas was trying to make.

 

Where do the events in the four parts of Kurdistan lead the Kurds to?

 

The Turkish, Arab and Persian occupiers and those forces who occupied Kurdistan through the Turks, Arabs and Persians, are launching their last assault against the Kurds. But they will not succeed in either part of Kurdistan in spite of their assaults. What is important to realize is that the success and failure of Kurds are in the hands of the Kurdish people now. This is what separates now from the time when Lausanne was written. The Kurds have the upper hand. If the Kurds follow a sound and wise politics, if they are united and enter powerful pacts, they will succeed.

 

And if there is no agreement among them?

 

If they don't, and if these conditions continue, then the Kurds will lose greatly. They will lose many things even if they could not be crushed as in the last century. For instance we are in Kurdistan Region and try to evaluate the situation here. What is apparent is that all factions and parties have moved away from one another. There is no communication among them. There is no system in the Kurdistan Region. The parliament is out of work. The Region has disintegrated in itself. People say Kurdistan is divided into four parts, while what we see is that the Kurdistan Region itself has been divided into further parts. These conditions will inevitably raise the threats and dangers against the Kurdish people.

 

Did you visit Kurdistan Region at their invitation or was it your own initiative?

 

No one invited us; it was completely our own initiative to visit Kurdistan Region. What I explained earlier was the reason behind our trip here. Over the past year, a comprehensive and dangerous war is being fought against us in Northern Kurdistan. It is fought in many fronts including in politics, in economics, in culture and militarily. Occupation has lost its impact in Northern Kurdistan. All of the wrangling is for the occupiers to occupy Northern Kurdistan again. But in response, the people of Northern Kurdistan and the political will there have shown great resilience. And we have had great results.

 

Even in the Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) the same procedure is taking place. And of course we see that the ISIS is still at the borders of Kurdistan Region. The Shiite and Sunni forces will occupy South Kurdistan if they have the opportunity. Iranian Kurdistan is under Persian occupation. All of that will generate Kurdish unity in the face of such threats. The occupying forces have numerous disagreements among themselves, but they unite swiftly when the Kurdish fate is at stake. They attack Kurds from a single position. But the Kurds lack such unity. They have been torn apart. The Kurds need to maintain a common politics. They need to have a unifying policy.

 

You have met with the parties here in Kurdistan Region. Do you think there are conditions for such unity here?

 

We came here only to help the unity of the Kurdish people and nothing else. In some media outlets it was reported that we have allegedly asked Mr. Barzani to mediate between us and the Turkish government. But it is not true. We only had one request, and that was to work to prevent the fragmentation of Kurdish position.  

 

But do you think this fragmentation could be mended by you?

 

We have not assigned ourselves with that task. This means that we are not here to resolve these issues. We lack the power or the role. We just want to be a factor behind a new start.We want to be a force to push Kurdish parties towards new negotiations. It will not harm anyone. But if it is implemented, it will benefit everyone. We are confident and our meetings in Erbil were encouraging.

 

Are there any chances this initiative will lead to a project?

 

All options are on the table. You know, we witness new events in the Middle East. There are ongoing agendas with new pacts and coalitions. So, to answer your question, yes, there is a possibility because Kurds are in need of unity. And I think most Kurds in Kurdistan region realize that. Hopefully our initiative will become a base for such unity.

 

How did the Kurdish president explain the state of affairs when you met him? What is the problem in Kurdistan and why did we get here, according to him?

 

We should probably not go into details since the meetings are still ongoing and the issues are sensitive. And it would be wrong politically to disclose the content of the meetings. We will announce it to the public when it is necessary. I think we have not sidelined the media with regard to that.

 

Was Mr. Barzani optimistic?

 

We say that we are optimistic. Our optimism is due to the needs of the Kurdish people. The issue is not who says what. There is optimism and we try to make true of that optimism.

 

Do you think that fragmentation is larger here compared to other parts of Kurdistan? If so, what is the reason in your view?

 

Not just in Kurdistan, but everywhere in the world unity and common stance are dependent on the democratic culture. If the democratic tradition is strong enough in any given society and its rules are abided, then of course the problems will be solved much quicker. Democracy is very much needed for the Kurds everywhere. They need it both domestically and in their relations to the outside world. Why do you think we have so many problems in the Middle East? Do you think that the other regions have no issues and problems? Indeed they do. But they solve the problems through dialogue and negotiations. While in this region because of the lack of democratic traditions, problems are solved violently. When you are unable to solve your problems, confrontation becomes the direct outcome. There will be disintegration and wars. So I would say the reason for all our problems is the lack of democratic culture.