PKK Executive Committee member Murat Karayılan evaluated the Turkish state's invasion threats against Rojava, the continued guerrilla fight in Medya Defense Areas, and the lawsuit filed to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations in this interview with ANF.

Karayılan stressed that the PKK is fighting for a national cause and that the Turkish state is determined to solve the Kurdish problem through war. Karayılan added that the states that included the PKK on the list of terrorist organisations were also collaborators in the atrocities against the Kurdish people. "Keeping the PKK on the list shows support for the Turkish state's genocide. No state should be a collaborator in the Turkish regime's killings. The PKK fights for a national cause, for the people, and for society. Today, the Turkish state employs violence. We do not want conflict; the Turkish government does. We want to resolve the Kurdish issue through dialogue," he said.

Reminding that village guards are also included in the ongoing war in the Media Defense Areas, Karayılan made the following call to them: "I know some of you are fine guys who joined the guards due to the enemy's pressure. Some did it for money. No one, however, should profit from the blood of Kurdish youth and feed their children to their children. Do not allow your children to be fed by Kurdish blood."

The Turkish state's invasion of Kirkuk, Maxmur, Medya Defense Areas, and Rojava continues. So far, several civilians have been killed in these strikes. Recently, four people were killed in Çemçemal and Bamernê, two of whom were children, and many others were injured. What are the implications of these attacks?

To begin with, it is obvious that the Turkish regime employs state terror against our people. These attacks are carried out in a variety of locations, ranging from Kirkuk to Afrin and Shehba. The enemy attacks our people in their cars, at home, and at work. Many of our Yazidi leaders, including Mam Zeki, Seîd Hesen, and, most recently, Dijwar and Zerdeşt, were martyred at Shengal. Again, attacks occur on a daily basis throughout Rojava, particularly in Kobanê and Qamishlo. As you mentioned, it happened most recently in Maxmur, Çemçemal, and Bamernê. First and foremost, I respectfully remember all of our martyrs who died in these attacks.

They are all martyrs of our revolution. Some were killed by planes, while others were killed by the agent or contra assaults in Sulaymaniyah. I remember Mehmet Zeki Çelebi, Muhtar Aram Hecî, and İsmail İbrahim, our Maxmur and Bamernê martyrs, and express my condolences to their families. We feel their anguish. We want to protect our martyrs by working and fighting. Their blood will not contaminate the ground. We must fight against the Turkish state's terrorist deeds.

Another part of these attacks is how the Turkish state can go and attack Kirkuk. Powers such as the United States, which controls the region's airspace, are also to blame for these strikes. Again, America and Russia are to blame for the attacks in Rojava. The Turkish state cannot attack if they do not consent.

Then there are agents. These are Kurdish operatives. These are terrorist assaults, and sadly, the hegemonic powers are also involved. Despite their statements that the attacks should be stopped, the Turkish state exploits the gaps and conducts such attacks. To put it another way, what is the Turkish government doing within 250 kilometres of Iraqi territory? It infiltrates Iraqi land and slaughters civilians. Where do they acquire their confidence? But no one is there to respond. That is why the Turkish state is attacking and killing our people so brutally.

OUR PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE MORE MEASURES AGAINST THE ENEMY'S ATTACKS

This is a difficult situation. The Kurdish freedom struggle is being treated unfairly. They specifically target patriots. All of these people are patriots. Children in Bamernê were targeted in large numbers in order to sow discord in the community. They specifically try to alienate individuals from our movement and elicit a reaction. They are attempting to incite violence among Kurds. In other words, attacks against civilians are premeditated. The Turkish state is an official state, but everyone should rise up and fight these killings and attacks. We shall remember our martyrs and will not let their blood fall to the ground.

In the face of these attacks, our people must not remain silent. My appeal to the patriotic people of Southern Kurdistan, the loving people of Soran, and the people of Behdinan: Do not remain silent in the face of Turkish governmental acts. Again, in North and East Syria; our people in Rojava and Bakur also expressed strong feelings.

Our people are our greatest asset. We create a force and will against the enemy through the reactions and actions of the people. Our people should organize more, take more precautions, stand up to these attacks, and show more reactions.

Sweden and Finland have recently attempted to join NATO. Turkey, however, vetoed this request. There have been numerous remarks on this subject. How would you evaluate this situation? What is the Turkish state's objective in this situation?

In the previous century, the Turkish state has consistently leveraged hegemonic power disputes to carry out genocide against the Kurdish people. Even now, they want to take advantage of the chances that are open to them. They want to profit from the escalating crisis between Russia and NATO in Ukraine. However, the world has seen that the Turkish state conducts its policy on the basis of hostility toward Kurds. He takes advantage of every opportunity to rally support against the Kurds and prolong their killings. Scandinavia has some democracy, which the Turkish state fears. Why does the Turkish government exercise its veto power? There have been numerous comments on this topic, but I believe there are two key issues.

First, the entire world's public opinion, particularly in Sweden and Finland, should be aware that the Turkish state is employing chemical weapons against us. These are prohibited weapons, and possessing them is a serious felony. They said they are ‘fighting terrorism; you must assist me,’ so that no one could say no to them. The Turkish state is committing a global crime in Zap, Metina, and Avaşîn today. This is the most serious threat.

Second, it wants NATO to relax the military arms embargo imposed on Turkey. Why? Because the Turkish state is essentially fighting using NATO weapons. In other words, they are attacking Rojava from the south with unmanned aerial vehicles, some of which are from Germany, England, Canada, and other countries. But an embargo has been imposed. They want to have the embargo lifted.

THE 'SENSITIVITY' OF THE TURKISH STATE IS TO DESTROY THE KURDISH PEOPLE

Turkey hopes to divert the world's attention away from its actions in Kurdistan. Its goal is to obtain weapons, use those weapons to continue the massacres, and use chemical weapons. NATO's stance, in this case, is striking. NATO Secretary General and a US official, in particular, made statements on the matter. 'We can take Turkey's sensitivities into account.' What is Turkey's level of sensitivity? Turkey's objective is to exterminate the Kurdish people. For their own reasons, these states or the NATO system appear to want to continue and assist the genocide against Kurds. This is quite dangerous. The Turkish government is completely insensitive. They seek to label as terrorists any libertarian Kurds who desire their rights.

They also consider Rojava to be terrorism. Rojava, Northern and Eastern Syria currently have a population of 5 million people. Are all of them terrorists? Furthermore, Turkey aims to get rid of everyone there and replace them with another nation. They intend to commit the crime of national genocide in the twenty-first century. In other words, this method of softening and "sensitivity must be considered" is wrong. We hope that Sweden and Finland will not sacrifice the Kurdish people. We condemn the Turkish state's barbaric attacks. We are using our legal rights.

We are not attacking NATO, and we are not fighting America. We are opposing the Turkish genocide. They do, however, support Turkey's genocide. We don't want them to back it. Do not participate in the Turkish state's killings in Kurdistan any longer. This is our demand, and the Scandinavian nations, in particular, should not make any concessions to Turkey. The Turkish government wishes to cast a pall on their democracy. They want them to make compromises in order to join NATO. They must not make any concessions. We are fighting for a just cause in Kurdistan; the Turkish government is lying, claiming that there is a threat to them; they want to continue their program of occupation and extermination in Kurdistan. Everyone should speak out against this.

A group of lawyers recently petitioned the German Federal Court to have the PKK removed from the list of terrorist organisations. "This problem is not on our agenda," remarked the German Interior Minister's spokesperson, without waiting for the court verdict. What would you say about this case if you were a party to it?

I greet and congratulate the valuable lawyers who work extremely hard. They must understand that they are not merely protecting, but also defending a historically vulnerable nation.

They are now working and labouring for a population on a global scale. Human work is a highly valuable asset. As a result, I wish them success. In Kurdistan, the PKK conducts respectable business. Kurds are the oldest and most ancient group in Mesopotamia, as well as the richest in terms of language and culture. Today, however, everything is forbidden.

The PKK is exercising its legal right to oppose genocide and Turkish state terrorism. The PKK is not a terrorist organization. Today, if Germany or France are occupied, patriots there will do the same. This is what the PKK is currently doing. The PKK fights and defends the right to culture, language, and existence. The Turkish state, on the other hand, portrays the PKK and the Kurdish people as terrorists. We oppose all types of terrorism. Look at who has done the most to combat ISIS terrorism in the Middle East. Was it not PKK? The Kurds, and the PKK in general, organized their forces from Kirkuk to Kobanê. PKK opposes all types of terrorism. It is against the terror of the Turkish state, the terror of DAESH, and the terror of Al Nusra. This is the reality. But what have capitalist states done to further their interests? They classified the PKK as a terrorist organization. This is a terrible injustice.

This enables the Turkish government to carry out killings and use violence in Kurdistan. The PKK has been included on this list of those who support the Turkish state's violence. Keeping the PKK on the list shows support for the Turkish state's genocide. No state should be a collaborator in the Turkish regime's killings. The PKK fights for a national cause, for a people, and for society. Today, the Turkish state employs violence. We do not want conflict; the Turkish government does. The Turkish government intends to solve the Kurdish problem through genocide and bloodshed. On the other side, we want to resolve the Kurdish issue through dialogue. What did Leader Apo say? "Give me a chance, I’d fix this problem in a week." Did the Turkish government approve it? No. It is not us who want to murder; it is the Turkish state who wants this. These states must understand this.

These governments are also ruthless. They had previously divided our country into four parts, and now they support Turkey's violence. Enough is enough! We demand an end to this. There were intrigues, murders, and massacres, but you couldn't eliminate the Kurdish people. For a century, they have been carrying out massacres in Kurdistan. They received no results. If a state wants to resolve the Kurdish issue through discussion, it must first remove the PKK from its list of terrorist organizations. If a power seeks a political settlement, it should work to have the PKK removed from the list. Because adding the PKK to the list implies endorsing the Turkish state's massacres. Those who do not wish to be complicit in the Turkish state's atrocities should endeavour to fix this error by removing the PKK from the list. This is why we turned to European law. It is true that Duran Kalkan and I applied on behalf of my friend; our lawyers are working on it, and we are watching.

The European Union High Court has already asked these countries why they placed the PKK on this list, and they have stated that this is false. They demanded that the states explain why they included the PKK on the list. Furthermore, the Belgian court ruled in favour of the petitioner. So we are correct. They will deem us justifiable if there is true law and court for us. We will triumph in our case. This is something we believe.

The Turkish government openly threatened Rojava and the northeast of Syria. What are your thoughts on these threats and attacks?

As I have explained in previous responses, the Turkish state operates on the basis of war. They also want to take over Rojava. 'We're going to create a 30-kilometer buffer zone.' It seeks to occupy the entirety of Rojava, from Aleppo to the Arab areas behind Hesekê, known as the 'Misaki Milli' boundary. That is the strategy. They have  long wanted the oil and riches of those areas. They want o travel to Iraq from there; the railroad line is already in place, and he wants to get there as soon as possible. That is why they are also targeting Shengal. In other words, there is such an idea, and the Turkish state acts in accordance with it. Such an attack is to be expected in this circumstance.

The Turkish state must be stopped in order for North East Syria and Rojava to be on the field. This is critical for the Rojava Revolution. Simultaneously, something similar is required to strike an agreement with Syria. The actual solution, of course, should be with Syria. However, a response to Turkey's intervention is also required. As a result, our people in Rojava, as well as those in Northern and Eastern Syria, can learn from our guerilla experience. They can also draw on this past experience in Afrin, Serêkaniyê, and Til Ebyad. We devised new warfare methods. For example, during the war, we withdrew the retreat tactic in the last three years. We did not, for example, retreat in Heftanîn. Our comrades are there. Last year, the same event happened in Avaşîn, Zap, and Qaşura.

Conflicts in Zap, Avaşîn, and Metîna have been ongoing for the past month and a half. So there is a method that is now in use. What exactly is this method? A; take precautionary measures against the enemy's weaponry. Chemical weapons have also been targeted. Our people have the power to resist this. The Turkish state will be defeated if the revolutionary people's war is carried out realistically. A revolutionary people's war is nothing unusual. For example, by putting the Russian state, which has so many opportunities and technologies, in a difficult position, Ukraine has come a long way. We can't say anything about the conflict because it's still going on, but no one should be scared of a siege. In other words, the people may be unable to do their military duties or use weapons, but they must not abandon their lands.

If our people do not want their lands taken away, if they do not want a second Afrin, if they do not want these gangs to reside in those sacred areas and use and possess their villages, houses, and crops, they must remain on their territories. They should not move from there. No one, neither military nor civilian, should leave. I believe that will be the case, and I have heard that efforts are being made in this direction. Soldiers will not abandon their posts in the name of retreat. Perhaps tactics in some places; it is sometimes feasible to travel from village to village, but normally stick in your neighborhood. If you ask us, we'll be honest. We do not accept and do not find acceptable what is happening in Afrin, Serêkaniyê, Til Ebyad, and Xakurke. During the revolutionary people's war, the people defend themselves by remaining on their land. As I have stated, people can profit from our mountain expertise. They have their own set of circumstances. I believe that if we make use of all of these opportunities, our people will succeed.

There will be no more Afrins, no more Serêkaniyês. Remember that the people have the most power. Ukraine and Afghanistan are prime examples of this. On this premise, you will be successful if you believe in yourself, organize yourself, and take action. Our team is taking action. However, it appears that action is taking place in Europe. You're at war, and you need to go to the villages to mobilize the people, organize them, mobilize the neighborhoods, and prepare them for war.