Demirtaş urges the EU to increase support for Kurds
BERLIN, Germany—Kurds across the greater Kurdistan region should be supported more by the international community in the war against Islamic State (ISIS), said the co-chair of Turkey’s People’s Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtaş, who also called on the EU to take more initiative to support the peace process in Turkey.
“The Kurds in Rojava and southern Kurdistan should be supported more, the Peshmerga and guerrillas who bravely fight ISIS are not being supported by the world as they need to be,” Demirtaş said. “More diplomatic, military and humanitarian support should be provided for them.”
“The Kurdish people that participate in all these fights should not left out,” he said.
Demirtaş made his comments to Rudaw’s correspondent Ala Shali in the German capital after meetings with the EU parliament speaker in Brussels. In his meetings in Brussels, Demirtaş discussed the situation of Kurds in Turkey, Iraq and Syria, and asked for more support for Kurds in the fight against ISIS.
“We have discussed the situation of Turkish democracy and the Kurdish cause in Turkey, and developments in Iraq, Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan,” Demirtaş told Rudaw on Thursday.
Demirtaş called Germany and the EU to speak out on Turkey’s violations against the Kurds, and urged them to take more initiative for the peace process as it is an important issue for Europe too.
“The violations against Kurds in Turkey reached the level of a humanitarian crime. Kurdish towns are destroyed, they lifted immunity on Kurdish MPs and arrested them,” Demirtaş explained. “The President of Municipalities has been arrested and this continues. And there is a lot of pressure on Kurdish media in Turkey.”
“Germany is big state and has good relations with Turkey,” he said, noting that he did not want to affect Germany’s relationship with Turkey “but they should criticize Turkey on the violations. As Turkey is a candidate for EU membership, Germany should not be silent.”
“To resume the peace process, Germany and the EU should take more initiative, because peace in Turkey is important for Germany just as it is for the Kurds. In the meantime it is also important for stability, security, and the refugee crisis.”
“The Kurds in Rojava and southern Kurdistan should be supported more, the Peshmerga and guerrillas who bravely fight ISIS are not being supported by the world as they need to be,” Demirtaş said. “More diplomatic, military and humanitarian support should be provided for them.”
“The Kurdish people that participate in all these fights should not left out,” he said.
Demirtaş made his comments to Rudaw’s correspondent Ala Shali in the German capital after meetings with the EU parliament speaker in Brussels. In his meetings in Brussels, Demirtaş discussed the situation of Kurds in Turkey, Iraq and Syria, and asked for more support for Kurds in the fight against ISIS.
“We have discussed the situation of Turkish democracy and the Kurdish cause in Turkey, and developments in Iraq, Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan,” Demirtaş told Rudaw on Thursday.
Demirtaş called Germany and the EU to speak out on Turkey’s violations against the Kurds, and urged them to take more initiative for the peace process as it is an important issue for Europe too.
“The violations against Kurds in Turkey reached the level of a humanitarian crime. Kurdish towns are destroyed, they lifted immunity on Kurdish MPs and arrested them,” Demirtaş explained. “The President of Municipalities has been arrested and this continues. And there is a lot of pressure on Kurdish media in Turkey.”
“Germany is big state and has good relations with Turkey,” he said, noting that he did not want to affect Germany’s relationship with Turkey “but they should criticize Turkey on the violations. As Turkey is a candidate for EU membership, Germany should not be silent.”
“To resume the peace process, Germany and the EU should take more initiative, because peace in Turkey is important for Germany just as it is for the Kurds. In the meantime it is also important for stability, security, and the refugee crisis.”