KCK Executive Council Member Sabri Ok answered questions from the Italian newspaper Avvenire. Offering his assessments of the process, Ok said: "In his call on February 27, 2025, Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan referred to it as the process of 'Peace and Democratic Society'. However, the Turkish state is still framing it as 'terror' and sometimes as 'National Unity and Brotherhood'. The reason why I mention this is the following; the Turkish state's mindset and mentality still do not acknowledge the existence of the problem, nor do they correctly name the process. Their only aim, as they repeatedly state every day, is the disarmament of our Movement. That is why they name the process 'Terror-free Turkey', and not 'peace' or 'solution.' Undoubtedly, this is an outcome and reflection of the mentality that historically rejects and denies the existence of the Kurdish people."

 

THE INFLUENCE OF NON-NORMATIVE FORCES

 

Emphasizing that the parties are far apart in their approach to the process, Ok said: "More precisely, the Turkish state is not approaching such a serious, historical, and major problem with due responsiblity and seriousness. So the process has not reached a deadlock, but we can say that it faces serious handicaps or that it is a process that is stumbling while developing."

 

Pointing also to segments that maintain an oppositional stance toward the process, Ok said: "This particularly includes non-normative forces within the state and its bureaucracy. Without a doubt, international powers, which have historically ignored the Kurdish Question, and beyond that, even created the problem by paving the way for Kurdistan to be fragmented and left without a status, bear significant responsibility for this. They still continue to tolerate the Turkish state for their own interests and fail to demonstrate a positive approach to resolving the issue. I can confidently state that this is a significant and influential factor in resolving the problem and advancing the process."

 

WHY DID THE PROCESS BEGIN?

 

Ok continued: "As is known, we have been at war with the Turkish state for decades. The Turkish army is the second-largest force in NATO. The Turkish state has used all its economic, political, military, and diplomatic power to try to dissolve and liquidate our Movement. It truly did everything to achieve this. It waged a lawless, immoral, and dirty special warfare. But ultimately, it failed. The Arab Spring shifted the balance of power in the Middle East, and especially after Gaza, Turkey's raison d'etat has come into play in the face of the developments that have occurred and are likely to occur in the Middle East in the future. The fact that this process was initiated by Devlet Bahçeli, who is the leader of the party that has waged the harshest and the most violent struggle against us, by calling it a matter of national survival, is an important indicator of the singificance and seriousness of the issue."

 

THE DECISIVE ROLE OF ABDULLAH ÖCALAN

 

"Of course, we must not forget the role played by Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who wants a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. Under the harshest conditions of isolation, he grasped the offered hand with great responsibility and played a crucial role in initiating this process. No one other than Leader Abdullah Öcalan was in a position or had the power to initiate and embark on this process."

 

THERE IS A MUTUAL CEASEFIRE

 

"Since the beginning of the process, except for the first 3–4 months, we can say that there was a mutual ceasefire in the Media Defense Zones for about a year. We know that the Turkish state has occasionally amassed forces in some areas, changed forces in others, and conducted intensive intelligence operations. However, as I mentioned, while there have been some exceptional, limited clashes or operations between our guerrilla forces and Turkish army forces during this period, I can say that there has generally been a state of non-conflict."

 

TRUST IN ANKARA IS WEAK

 

"We sometimes see in public interviews and dialogues conducted by the press that our people are unequivocally committed to and turst Leader Abdullah Öcalan for the process. However, trust in the Turkish state, that is, Ankara, is extremely weak, almost nonexistent. This is because the Kurdish people are very well aware of the historical steps our Movement has taken, the strategic decisions it has made, namely the dissolution of the PKK and the abandonment of the strategy of armed struggle. By contrast, Ankara's extreme reticence, its failure to make any statements contributing to the development of the process, and its lack of any serious practical steps naturally cause great caution and even mistrust among our people. Because the Kurdish people, having paid a heavy price and resisted throughout 52 years of struggle, are a truly aware and politically conscious people. That is to say, they follow and understand the developments well."

 

WHO OPPOSES THE 'RIGHT TO HOPE'?

 

"The Committee of Ministers has given Turkey time until June 2026 to implement the necessary legislation in line with the ECHR's judgments regarding the 'Right to Hope.' In this context, we see that the Turkish state approaches the issue of the Right to Hope politically rather than legally. On the one hand, it creates the perception of not opposing the ECHR's decisions, while on the other hand, it seeks to evade the issue with its Fabian policies of stalling and procrastination. Member states of the Council of Europe, on the other hand, due to political considerations, are turning a blind eye on this stalling policy. First and foremost, our call to the European states is to uphold their own democratic values. To this end, all institutions, organizations, and individuals who defend and respect human rights should put pressure on their own respective states to implement these democratic values. The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers should both encourage and put pressure on the Turkish state to fulfill the requirements of the 'Right to Hope'. Therefore, our legal, political, and social struggle regarding 'the Right to Hope' will continue in Turkey and Kurdistan, as well as in Europe. You have asked who are obstructing the peace process. The stance that will be taken regarding the Right to Hope will be a clear indicator of who are obstructing the peace process and who are not."

 

NO STATUS, NO PROCESS!

 

"First and foremost, as our Movement leadership has stated many times, for the peace process to progress, Leader Abdullah Öcalan must be recognized by the Turkish state as the chief negotiator and interlocutor. Therefore, he must have the conditions to live and work freely so that he can play his role as the chief negotiator. Without this, it is absolutely not possible to talk about the process and its progress. Furthermore, the necessary and comprehensive legal framework for the process must provide political and legal guarantees for democratic politics and struggle. In short, a solution to the Kurdish Question based on local democracy within Turkey's borders is important. If Kurds exist, they will also have rights. A democratic and free life, where Kurds participate in the system with their own identity and culture, is what is right and necessary. This means abandoning the mentality that has rejected and denied Kurds for a hundred years, mutual recognition and acceptance - namely, democratic integration - and the democratization of Turkey."

 

*TURKEY INSISTS ON THE 'OLD'

 

"It is clear that all political, military, and even economic and technological struggles and wars are for this purpose. There are also trade and energy wars. Furthermore, Israel's security problem is treated as a top priority. It is not possible to see and evaluate the current Iran-US-Israel war separately from this.  As the century-old concept collapses, they want to establish a new design in its place. It is obvious that Turkey is resistant to developments in the Middle East. It is pursuing a policy that protects the status quo. This is because any change in the Middle East would necessarily mean change in the Turkish state as well. Therefore, the Turkish state is insisting on its nation-state policies."

 

THEY ARE DISCUSSING EVERY POSSIBILITY

 

"It is undeniable that the Kurds are a very important and influential force here. However, the Kurds will certainly not be a battering ram for others. As a people who have experienced many genocides and massacres, they have a strong historical awareness and memory, they have experience. Several parties and organizations in Rojhilat have come together and declared their unity. We know that they are discussing what strategy and tactics should be used in the struggle, when, and under what conditions. I don't think they will be in a situation where they act unprepared and prematurely, or fall behind developments."

 

IF THERE IS AN ATTACK ON OUR EXISTENCE, IT BECOMES A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT

 

"Giving up armed struggle and the strategy based on it should not mean that we cannot engage in self-defense. However, when we say self-defense, the first thing that comes to mind should not be armed struggle. Rather, it should be understood as the struggle of the society by organizing itself at every level. For the Kurdish existence, to abandon the option of self-defense without securing their rights as a democratic society means accepting death. Why did the Kurdish people resort to armed struggle? To protect their existence. Do the threats against the Kurdish people continue? Yes, they do. As long as these threats are not removed, we will not give up our right to self-defense. What is our fundamental principle in self-defense? As long as the existence of the Kurdish people is not denied, and they are not subjected to attacks aiming at annihilation, armed struggle will not be adopted as a method. However, if attacks and campaigns aiming at annihilation are launched and Kurds face existential threat, it is a fundamental right to resort to all kinds of methods, including taking up arms."