The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan held a press conference regarding the decisions taken at the party's Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting held on Wednesday, August 12.

“The law has opened a very significant path”

Ayşegül Doğan noted that the Parliament passed a law whose significance would become clearer in the months ahead and that it was an important piece of legislation for her party. However, she stressed that the law was not a measure that would resolve all existing problems.

Remarking that the law had created new political and legal opportunities, Doğan said: "Recognizing the importance of this first step does not mean ignoring the aspects that still need to be addressed. On the contrary, for us, valuing this first step means emphasizing even more strongly what remains to be completed. Criticizing its shortcomings does not diminish its significance. Nor should we turn our backs on this law entirely because of those shortcomings. There is no need to reject it. The law has now been passed, opening a very significant path toward resolving the Kurdish question and democratizing Turkey. That is why we propose moving forward along this path."

Ayşegül Doğan pointed out that conflicts had not made the state stronger and further stated the following:

"If conflict had made the state stronger, we would be talking today about a strong democracy and a strong economy. Instead, thousands of people have lived in constant fear, and millions of homes have been struck by tragedy—all because of security-driven policies. That is why every step that helps bring this to an end is valuable and important to us, despite its shortcomings and inadequacies.

“A new era must have a new vocabulary”

Victory, defeat, division, partition, denial, destruction, rebellion, or rejection—we now need to leave all of these behind. A new era must have a new vocabulary, one that shows that this new period is being approached with a new mindset and that has a tangible impact on our lives.

That is why those who oppose the process now need new arguments as well. Otherwise, everything they put forward will unfortunately be perceived merely as rhetoric, as an absence of politics, and as categorical opposition to the process.

Steps aimed at strengthening our shared future

At no point in this process has any separatist demand ever been expressed. Such claims have no basis. There is no demand for separation. On the contrary, as reflected in the name of the law and the name of the parliamentary commission, steps are being taken in Parliament toward unity and integration and toward strengthening our coexistence. These are steps aimed at strengthening our shared future.

Some continue to put forward arguments suggesting that the issue can be resolved solely through security-based methods or military operations. This approach was tried continuously for 40 years and failed to produce a solution. It generated conflict and deepened the problem. Moreover, it changed the nature of the issue and internationalized it. A secure country is one that decides to eliminate the causes of conflict and demonstrates the political will to take steps in that direction. This is possible through law, politics, dialogue, and negotiation. This is how we need to view the process we are currently going through. The vast majority of armed conflicts around the world have ultimately been brought to an end through dialogue and negotiation.

New bodies will be established

Now we have the law. Parliament is there to oversee its implementation. There is therefore social will, public support, and solidarity. New bodies will be established. There is nothing secret or concealed. Every effort is being made to move the process forward openly and transparently. Nor do we have any hidden agenda.

There are shortcomings; we are aware of them, and we are working to ensure that they are addressed. Does the law meet all of our expectations? No. But is it realistic to expect a single law to have the capacity to meet everyone's expectations? No, it is not. We need to intensify our collective struggle to transform the law so that it can better meet our expectations.

We are talking about a law that concerns and directly affects the lives and freedom of thousands of people. We are talking about a law that could pave the way for the release and freedom of thousands of people, while also enabling many others to return, including those …