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Kurdish issue a burden Turkey can no longer bear, says PM
Speaking about the government's Kurdish initiative, which seeks to extend more democratic rights to Kurds in order to end separatist violence, the prime minister admonished the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its sympathizers. “We can never have anything to do with those who see terror as a legitimate means, who target the lives of our innocent people to this end. We condemn terrorism as strongly as we have from our first day [in office],” Erdoğan said.
His comments come less than two weeks after massive crowds of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) supporters welcomed a group of PKK members returning to Turkey in an atmosphere of festivity. The celebrations held by PKK supporters angered many segments of Turkish society.
The prime minister also touched on Ergenekon, a clandestine gang charged with plotting to overthrow the government that is believed to be responsible for many illegal operations carried out behind-the-scenes by state departments led by some of the group's members. He said his government's primary target was to eliminate what he called “shady power centers.” “We want everyone in this country to trust and have confidence in the state. … We want for there to no longer be any shady powers that draw curtains in front of the will of the nation, that seize the will of the nation,” he said.
Erdoğan noted that there have always been groups seeking to create conflict within the nation by exploiting political, religious or ethnic differences between various communities. “However, the people of this country have not given up on each other even in the darkest, most painful and difficult of times. … We want anger to subside, all resentment to be forgotten,” he continued.
The prime minister also called on civil society to contribute to the solution of the Kurdish question. “As the government, we have taken a step, and we will continue to travel down this path no matter what the cost. However, for the success of this process, everyone should do their part. The politicians of this country and its opinion leaders and civil society leaders will all fulfill their reasonability,” he noted.
He also warned against attempts to provoke sensitivities and use the process for political ends. “Unfortunately, there are those who are undermining this process with their actions, their attitude and their words. … There are those who are turning this into a show. I call on everyone to act with common sense.”
The prime minister said future generations will help Turkey forget about its losses. “We have established 63 new universities, 41 of them state universities and 22 private schools. Our country has a total of 139 universities, including 94 state and 45 private universities. We believe that these new generations will turn Turkey's years ahead into years of gain,” Erdoğan said.
He also briefly discussed Turkey's foreign policy and the recent rapprochement with Armenia. “Official protocols were signed on Oct. 10 aimed at the normalization of relations with Armenia. We want the Karabakh question between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be overcome through dialogue. Unfortunately, both in our country and inside Azerbaijan, there are those who exploit this issue in an unjust fashion. We have no disagreement with Azerbaijan; this can never be. It is impossible for us to allow anything that might damage Azerbaijan's interests to happen,” he said.
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