Turkey
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar inspects border troops in Turkey’s southeastern Sirnak province on August 9, 2020. Photo: Anadolu Agency
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The upcoming Turkish elections in May are the last hope for groups such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) who are “bleeding” and “in a state of panic,” Turkey’s defense minister claimed Friday in a reference to Ankara’s military operations in the Kurdistan Region.
“Terrorists are bleeding in Zap and Gara in the north of Iraq. They are in panic, they will end. Their only hope is the election,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said about the PKK.
The PKK is a Kurdish group that has fought for Kurdish rights and waged an armed insurgency against Turkey for decades and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, who has launched numerous operations against the group and its alleged offshoots in the Kurdistan Region and Syria.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is accused by some Turkish officials and politicians of being the political wing of the PKK, but the party has denied any organic links to the group. The PKK’s terrorist designation in Ankara has led scores of HDP supporters, members, and officials to be arrested on terror-related charges.
“The politicians we support and instruct will be in power, and they will save us. This is their only expectation. We believe that our noble nation will not allow this,” Akar said, as the HDP is widely expected to support the opposition led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the People’s Republican Party (CHP) in the May 14 elections in a bid to oust longtime rival and sitting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The HDP, who are hailed as the kingmaker of these elections, have not yet officially voiced their support for Kilicdaroglu and the opposition, with the CHP leader taking on Erdogan at a time when the president’s popularity is at its lowest, according to many poll centers.
“Terrorists are directing the HDP and the HDP is leading the alliance … I am sure this will be understood and seen by our noble nation,” Akar added.
The HDP acted as an intermediary during the peace process between the Turkish state and the PKK between 2013 and 2015, marking short years of hope that the decades-long conflict that left tens of thousands dead might finally come to an end. The talks collapsed in 2015.
In 2021, Turkey’s chief prosecutor filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court seeking the dissolution of the HDP for alleged links to the PKK. The case is ongoing.
In response, the HDP announced that they will field their candidates within the Green Left Party (Yesil Sol) as a precautionary measure in case the Turkish government shuts them down.
“Terrorists are bleeding in Zap and Gara in the north of Iraq. They are in panic, they will end. Their only hope is the election,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said about the PKK.
The PKK is a Kurdish group that has fought for Kurdish rights and waged an armed insurgency against Turkey for decades and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, who has launched numerous operations against the group and its alleged offshoots in the Kurdistan Region and Syria.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is accused by some Turkish officials and politicians of being the political wing of the PKK, but the party has denied any organic links to the group. The PKK’s terrorist designation in Ankara has led scores of HDP supporters, members, and officials to be arrested on terror-related charges.
“The politicians we support and instruct will be in power, and they will save us. This is their only expectation. We believe that our noble nation will not allow this,” Akar said, as the HDP is widely expected to support the opposition led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the People’s Republican Party (CHP) in the May 14 elections in a bid to oust longtime rival and sitting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The HDP, who are hailed as the kingmaker of these elections, have not yet officially voiced their support for Kilicdaroglu and the opposition, with the CHP leader taking on Erdogan at a time when the president’s popularity is at its lowest, according to many poll centers.
“Terrorists are directing the HDP and the HDP is leading the alliance … I am sure this will be understood and seen by our noble nation,” Akar added.
The HDP acted as an intermediary during the peace process between the Turkish state and the PKK between 2013 and 2015, marking short years of hope that the decades-long conflict that left tens of thousands dead might finally come to an end. The talks collapsed in 2015.
In 2021, Turkey’s chief prosecutor filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court seeking the dissolution of the HDP for alleged links to the PKK. The case is ongoing.
In response, the HDP announced that they will field their candidates within the Green Left Party (Yesil Sol) as a precautionary measure in case the Turkish government shuts them down.
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