PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) Executive Council Member Murat Karayılan spoke to the Dengê Welat radio.

Karayılan started his comments with celebrating the new year for Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, “all comrades, all who strive for the revolution, the people of Kurdistan and humanity”.

“LEADER APO’S PARADIGM IS THE WAY OUT”

Karayılan pointed out that there are fundamental problems in the Middle East and said the following:

“There are problems in freedom, democracy, equality and just distribution. On one hand people are starving and miserable, there is blood and tears. And on the other, some people are living in wealth. This situation in the region is very severe for humanity. The peoples of the region should turn the current conditions into the foundation of the struggle for a will, freedom and equality to be rid of this situation. In this context, there are serious efforts. Leader Apo’s paradigm offers a way out and a solution for the peoples of the Middle East.”

“INVADERS TREMBLE IN FEAR”

Stressing that one of the serious problems in the region is the Kurdistan issue, Karayılan said: “When war broke out in the region, the invaders of Kurdistan started to fear. This invasion is led by Turkey.”

Karayılan continued:

“Throughout 2017, invading forces continued their attacks on the Kurdistan Freedom Movement and the peoples of Kurdistan. That is why this year was no ordinary year. It is important. This year serious attacks and resistances emerged. The Turkish state declared by the end of 2016 that this war is a war of existence for Turkey. First they deepened the isolation in Imrali. Has there been any contact with the Leader for a whole year? Has anybody heard from him? No. Because they see this as a strategy. There is a war in Imrali to keep the Leader’s voice from reaching the revolution and the people. The war started in Imrali. Then this attack spread to Kurdish politics and politicians. MPs are in dungeons, HDP co-chairs are in dungeons. They issued a law to confiscate the municipalities Kurds controlled. Turkey is not ruled by regular laws today. There is a state of emergency in Turkey. There is a practice that surpasses the conditions of September 12. That is why 2017 was a year full of strife.”

“THEY WERE DEFEATED IN BAKUR AND IN ROJAVA”

Karayılan said, “Turkish invasionism failed to achieve results in the face of the guerrilla,” and continued:

“The AKP put forth all material resources, took the war from the ground to the air, but failed to achieve results. The war against the guerrilla is 90% aerial attacks, they don’t fight on land anymore. Undoubtedly this requires great material resources. Look at Turkey’s economy, it is in a state of collapse. Because all the resources are allocated for war, the state sees this as a war to prevail or perish.

2017 went by, and now we enter 2018. Results? The Turkish state has failed to achieve results. On the contrary, they have been defeated. We did have martyrs in the last year, yes, that is a reality. But there is a system of mobilization in place in all states. The enemy couldn’t stand against this system of the guerilla and failed to deliver significant blows to the guerrilla.”

Karayılan said the following on the developments in Rojava and the South:

“The enemy attacked other parts too. For instance, Erdoğan wanted to have YPG and PYD in Rojava included in the terror list and carry out the Raqqa operation with his own gangs. He suggested this to the US and the Coalition as well. But what happened in the end? He was defeated there as well. In both the military and the diplomatic sense, he was defeated. The Turkish state’s whole policy on Rojava and Syria failed. Now they sought refuge with Russia and entered Bab and Idlib with Russia’s permission. As a result of negotiations, Turkey was allowed to place soldiers there. That is no victory, on the contrary, that is a defeat.

“SOUTHERN KURDISTAN POLITICS HARMED THE GAINS”

The Turkish state has been defeated in their policies over Southern Kurdistan as well. Yes, Southern Kurdistan politics failed to analyze the process correctly and some gains of our people have been lost. But the Turkish state’s aims were not confined to that. The Turkish state aimed to start a civil war and obliterate all gains. We told this before 2017 to Southern politicians. Some didn’t heed our words. But it should be known that the true goal of the Turkish state is to create large scale chaos in the South and settle in there in all areas. Yes, some positions in the South have been lost, but there is a certain level too. Turkey wanted to enter Shengal, were they able to do that? No, in general we can say that the Turkish state has failed to achieve results in Southern Kurdistan too.”

“TURKEY CAN’T INVADE EFRÎN”

Karayılan stated that in general Turkey experienced defeats in 2017, and added that a serious economic crisis has emerged due to these defeats.

Karayılan stressed that the Kurdish Freedom Movement on the other hand has held on to its gains and in some parts furthered them.

On Efrîn, Karayılan said: “The enemy continues to spread rumors about Efrîn. But it can only happen through foreign forces’ approval, and that will not achieve results. Even if foreign forces allow them, Turkey can’t go in and invade the area. There will be a very extensive war, and we state that Turkey will be defeated there as well.

“THEY WILL STEP BACK IF WE INCREASE THE RESISTANCE”

Karayılan said they have a claim to smash fascism and continued:

“We will fulfill our duty to our heroic martyrs and Leader Apo. We will uphold all duties and responsibilities we have for all arrested comrades. The Apoist sacrificial spirit is stronger today. The enemy attacked very extensively, but failed to achieve results in the face of our will. We want to achieve results from now on. It’s our turn, now we will make the lunge.

This way we will smash the system of torture. Our guideline is Leader Apo’s physical freedom. If Leader Apo is freed, then we can say we have achieved victory. We can’t say we have as long as Leader Apo and thousands of our comrades are in dungeons.

In this framework, I would like to add that 2018 will be a year of great resistance for dungeons. Because the enemy wants to implement the ‘uniform’ practice, and the comrades in the dungeons have stated that they will not accept that under any conditions. Because fascism wants to take over the will through the uniform. They attempted this in 1984. But the enemy had to step back as a result of the resistance. It will be similar today.

But the important thing is, the resistance in the dungeons should not be confined to the dungeons. It should evolve into a resistance throughout the whole of society. If the resistance in the dungeons spreads to homes, streets and institutions, there will be a general resistance. Mazlum Doğan had once written in a leter, ‘You make your arrangements well there, then return. We can carry this load for now, but afterwards you need to let the world know about us.’ The important thing is to carry the resistance in the dungeons to the streets. If that happens, we can achieve results.”

“WE CAN MAKE GREAT LUNGES IN ALL AREAS”

PKK Executive Council Member Murat Karayılan concluded his messages with:

“This year is also the 40th year of the PKK. We have promised to make this a year of great struggle and resistance. 2017 has created a great foundation for us as a year of resistance and struggle. As such, we will develop a great struggle on this foundation in 2018. That is why the future is ours, we can make great lunges in all areas.

2018 will be the year of all forces of freedom and revolution, the conditions for this are ripe. That is why all must uphold their duties and responsibilities. If that happens, victory will be ours.”