Members of the Left Party in Sweden have sent a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, expressing their support for the call of the leader of the Kurdish people, Abdullah Öcalan, and asking Erdoğan to take a step forward.

The letter, signed by Nooshi Dadgostar, Party Leader; Yekbun Alp, International Affairs Officer; Jonas Sjöstedt, Member of the European Parliament and Hakan Svenneling, Foreign Policy Spokesperson, states the following:

"On behalf of the Left Party in Sweden, we wish to express our unequivocal support for the recent initiative by Abdullah Öcalan, who has called upon the PKK to lay down its arms and disband. This announcement represents a historic step and an opportunity to bring an end to the protracted conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state – a conflict that has resulted in countless lives lost and immense suffering.

For this peace process to have a genuine chance of success, we respectfully urge you, as the President of Turkey, to immediately cease military operations against the PKK. Such actions risk undermining the PKK’s ability to convene its congress and make critical decisions regarding disarmament. It is clear that sustainable peace can only be achieved through dialogue and mutual understanding, not through the continuation of violence.

Furthermore, we strongly encourage the Turkish government to take immediate and concrete steps to ensure the full protection of the rights of the Kurdish people. A lasting and meaningful peace demands that the rights of Kurds and other minorities be enshrined in the Turkish constitution, and that political prisoners be released. Now is the time to acknowledge the legitimate demands of the Kurdish people and work towards a democratic and inclusive future for all.

We trust that your Presidency will recognize the historic nature of this moment and take decisive actions towards achieving a just and ensuring peace."

Background

Through the İmralı Delegation of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan made the historic ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ on 27 February.

Responding to Öcalan’s call on 1 March, the Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)said they agreed with the content of the call as it was and stated that they would fully comply with and implement the requirements of the call on their part. In order to pave the way for the implementation of Öcalan’s Call for Peace and Democratic Society, the PKK declared a ceasefire, stating: “None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked. Beyond this, only the practical leadership of Leader Öcalan can make matters such as laying down arms practical.”