PKK Executive Committee member Duran Kalkan spoke to Ersin Çelik for the show Political Space aired on MED NÛÇE, and made important statements. The first part of the interview has been translated into English below.

Kalkan stated that the AKP and the Turkish Army, through their military and police attacks, have brought a de-facto end to the ceasefire that had begun following the Newroz of 2013.

“We stopped our serious efforts to organize a congress because of Tayyip Erdoğan’s and the AKP’s anti-democratization and anti-peace positions, which prevent the development of the negotiation process” said Kalkan, emphasizing that they will not organize the congress or have such discussions.

The agenda is busy and the upcoming elections in Turkey come to the fore of this agenda, but there are also debates around the peace process. Recently, AKP has adopted aggressive statements and politics, especially targeting the space of democratic politics, but there has also been other discussions. Is there a negotiation table? Will the PKK organize the congress? These are some of the unanswered questions. How do you evaluate the process and the developments we experience?

Yes, we are going through an important period with critical political and military developments and debates. The HDP Imralı committee has made some positive statements in this regard. They were under the responsibility of informing the public, we have the responsibility to inform Kurdish and Turkish peoples. They made an important statement and fulfilled their responsibility. This is especially crucial because the AKP has engaged in manipulation and other dangerous initiatives.

The PKK Executive Committee met during May 5-6-7 and we evaluated these these developments, debates and the upcoming election as the party administration. Our administrators will inform the public about the different political and military details of our evaluation in future days. However, I think it will be beneficial if I now briefly inform the public about our evaluations and the PKK’s overall stance.

‘THE BEGINNING OF A NEW PROCESS’

We are at the beginning of a new process, and this is what we mean: through the recent legal changes, the government groups us within the parallel structure in order to initiate a new wave of attacks. We interpret Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks in this context and believe that such attacks will intensify both before and after the elections. Since Newroz, the propaganda machine and the psychological warfare against our peoples have intensified. There is also the police terror. 40-50 HDP offices were attacked, bombed, and destroyed. HDP activities are not allowed, even the rallies are banned. It is as if the 2009 operations of political genocide have restarted. There are also the attacks planned and implemented by the Turkish General Staff. There is military confrontation almost every day and military movement increased all around Northern Kurdistan. They are engaged in operations and provocative initiatives. They bomb guerrilla-controlled Medya Defence Areas with cannons and increased their use of surveillance jets. The AKP is implementing a war on the one hand, and preparing for an even greater war on the other. We evaluate all of these developments as efforts to guarantee AKP’s reelection.

When they say “the HDP uses guns to get votes,” they are projecting their situation upon us. AKP uses threats, intimidation, and the military activities of the army and the police to get votes. This is why HDP rallies are banned and offices are destroyed. The increased military activities aim to intimidate the Kurdish people so that they do not vote for the HDP. Therefore, they are projecting their situation on us. It is the AKP that uses the army and the police to get votes on June 7.

This is not only an elections-oriented initiative, this is the dawn of a new onslaught and the beginning of a total war concept. Tayyip Erdoğan ordered and the state decided to stop the solution process. A new phase of attacks emerged. The Kurdish people, the Kurdish Freedom Movement and the Turkish democracy face a new wave of state attacks organized by the AKP. We believe that this will increase after the elections. The old process is dead. We can no longer speak of a solution process at this stage. The AKP’s seldom remarks about the solution process are definitely false.

‘The AKP and Turkish army have ended the ceasefire’

As a party administration we have made the following assessment: the AKP and Turkish army have, with military and police attacks and military activities, brought about an end to the ceasefire which we declared after Newroz 2013. Public opinion should realise that if there are no clashes taking place, it is because we do not want conflict. It is the PKK, not the AKP, which is ensuring there is no conflict, but this cannot go on for ever.

It should be clearly understood that the AKP ended the ceasefire. We therefore call on everyone ion Turkey to take a stance against the AKP and take ownership of the ceasefire and the no-conflict situation. There should be opposition to the police terror and military operations of the AKP. If this does not happen a new period of conflict will begin. And then let no one say: “the PKK started it,” or “the PKK is doing this or that.” We are issuing a warning and calling on the public to take ownership of the process.

‘In order to be rid of the AKP support the HDP’

The only way to ensure the AKP does not succeed at the elections is to support the HDP. The CHP and MHP cannot do anything. When it comes to the Kurdish question the AKP, CHP and MHP have the same nationalism. The only alternative force is the HDP, which has built a significant bloc.

Another important dimension is the ‘statement of intent’ issued by Leader Apo on 28 February, when he said that if the ten points he listed were taken as the basis of negotiations, and if agreement were reached, the PKK would hold a congress in April and declare an end to the 30-year armed struggle. Of course, there were conditions, such as the setting up of bodies to oversee the negotiations, a monitoring delegation and a process of negotiation that would draft a new constitution that would bring in democratisation in Turkey.

‘Erdoğan and the AKP government have destroyed the process of resolution’

The declaration of 28 February at Dolmabahçe Palace was important. This was followed by the democratic manifesto announced in Amed, a declaration of intent and we began preparations for a congress. However, the developments in the AKP, and in particular statements by President Erdoğan rejecting the Dolmabahçe declaration, such as: “The Kurdish question does not exist”, have upset the process. Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP government have destroyed the process.

The PKK has halted its congress preparations

As a party administration we evaluated this situation and have decided to halt work on the congress. Public opinion should realise that in the present circumstances a congress cannot take place and such decisions cannot be taken. We have remained loyal to the work of Leader Apo and supported it, but the stance of the AKP has brought about an end to it.