123 organisations from Southern Kurdistan wrote a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon calling against holding the First World Humanitarian Summit in Turkey.

The letter says Turkey is not a good choice for the Humanitarian Summit and the summit should be held in a different country.

Sending a salute to UN’s decision to fight against the globally spreading humanitarian crisis, the letter continues: “We hope that you will find new ways and solutions for the First World Humanitarian Summit. This Summit will gave great contribution to see the extent of the humanitarian crisis in the war torn Middle East.

Kurdistan is in the ring of fire of the power struggles in the Middle East. There is an untransparent, unlawful war going on in this region. We are facing the murderous ISIS gangs. The results of this war is hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, destroyed infrastructures pertaining to every aspect of life, looting and enslaving women, destruction of historic monuments, and life in general turning into a problem. In short, this is an extraordinary situation.

We as the Kurds have managed to defend ourselves against ISIS. In both Northern Syria (Rojava) and Iraq’s Kurdish region, the guerillas and the peshmargas have defended not only our own people, but also peoples of Christian Assyrians, Shia Turkmens, Êzîdîs, Kakais, Shabeks, Sabis, Yarsanis. Kurdistan has turned into a region where the advances of ISIS were able to be restricted. This fact is important to the Kurds, as well as the peoples of the region and the international community.

Mr. Secretary General,

We are building the fight against ISIS and facing the escalation of violence perpetrated by the Turkish state at the same time. The AKP government under President Erdoğan’s responsibility sees the Kurds’ gains against ISIS in Rojava (Northern Syria) as threats to their own expansionist agenda. ISIS using the Turkish border as a crossing path is an “open secret” in the international scale. But, despite the international criticism and warnings, Turkey hasn’t changed its policies on ISIS and hasn’t ended its relationship.

Nations of the world made harsh criticisms again after ISIS attacks in Paris and Brussels. To add to this, Turkey escalated the violence imposed upon civilians in the country’s Kurdish regions. Kurdish residential areas are facing serious violence from the soldiers and the police. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the last six months. An estimated 300.000 Kurds have been displaced when their cities and villages were destroyed. The international community’s calls for a peace process fall on Turkish President Erdoğan’s deaf ears.

Mr. Secretary General,

We believe for certain that Turkey’s current aggressive policies will further the crisis in the Middle East, particularly Kurdistan. This is why, due to the nature of the subjects to be discussed therein, we believe the summit should not be held in a country that is a source of conflict with its politics.

Turkish President Erdoğan and the AKP government will use this summit to legitimize their own antidemocratic and military politics. Therefore, our wish is that you would hold the First World Humanitarian Summit in another suitable country and not in İstanbul/Turkey.

We will be sending a copy of this letter to leaders of UN member states.”