The video message released by Abdullah Öcalan continues to prompt comments. Speaking from Imrali Island Prison after 27 years, Öcalan addressed both the Kurdish Freedom Movement and the peoples of the region, underlining that the new era would be one of democratic politics.

The process that began with Öcalan’s historic call on February 27 entered a new phase on July 9 with the release of his video message. In this message, Öcalan declared that the new era would be shaped by democratic politics and announced the end of the armed struggle.

Hakan Öztürk, Chair of the Labourist Movement Party (EHP), spoke to ANF and said that Öcalan’s call holds a key role in unlocking this phase of the process.

The statement holds a key role in moving the process forward

Hakan Öztürk emphasized that the statement is of vital importance for the process and said: “As a result of all the recent developments, Abdullah Öcalan has now issued his latest statement. This is a logical extension of the principles and approaches he had previously laid out. In this sense, he is saying that we have reached a stage where the Kurdish question is now being discussed and acknowledged, and where the existence of the Kurdish people is being recognized. Based on this recognition, he states that it is time to move from armed struggle to a phase of democratic politics and legal resolution. In this context, he is also speaking of more practical, concrete, and decisive steps in order to accelerate the process. This is understandable, because developments in the Middle East and in Turkey are unfolding very rapidly. In order to positively influence these dynamics, more practical and decisive steps are indeed essential.”

It once again highlights the importance of program and strategy

Hakan Öztürk noted that the statement once again underlined the significance of the program and strategy and described this as a positive development.

Öztürk continued: “He speaks of the need to take mutual steps without difficulty, and in this context, he emphasizes the importance of a commission. He underlines the necessity of a functioning legal process. He places the next phase of the struggle on this foundation. He says the peace and democratic society program must be implemented, a strategy of democratic politics must be pursued, and a comprehensive legal framework must be established.

When examining Öcalan’s approach here, we see once again a method I have pointed out before: his strong emphasis on program and strategy. In this sense, he conducts an analysis, sets goals, and outlines a program. This is significant. Given that we are in a period where the importance of program and strategy appears to have faded from the agenda, his reaffirmation of them is, in my view, highly constructive. In that sense, we can say he is once again signaling the beginning of a new phase.”

The democratic politics pursued by the Kurdish movement will  be stronger

Hakan Öztürk underlined that democratic politics is not a foreign concept for the Kurdish movement, but that from this point forward, it has taken on even greater significance: “How can this emphasis on democratic politics be further developed? The Kurdish movement is not a one-dimensional force, it has always pushed for democratic political channels and legal pathways at every stage. It has already pursued every avenue for dialogue and peaceful negotiation. I say this clearly: this is not unfamiliar territory for the movement, nor is it inexperienced in this area. It will strive to fulfill the requirements of democratic politics at the highest level. But what will be the advantage now? Every time the Kurdish movement attempted to proceed through democratic politics, through the law, or through peaceful means, it was always met with excuses and obstacles. A chorus would rise up against it. But with this new phase, there are no longer any valid pretexts to justify those barriers. From this point on, I believe that the democratic politics and legal struggle that the Kurdish movement will engage in can be much stronger, can rise much more freely. In that sense, I am very optimistic.”