The meeting was held on Saturday and Sunday in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır with the participation of representatives from 42 Turkish cities. A final declaration issued yesterday stressed that Turkey will fail to settle its long-lasting problems unless it embraces a civilian constitution.
“It is a fact that the Kurdish question tops the fundamental problems in Turkey, which has so far been unable to solve problems related to the rule of law and human rights. Besides all other problems, the Kurdish question can be settled through the exclusion of violence as a method and in a peaceful manner on the basis of freedoms, equality and justice,” read the declaration.
The statement also recalled that thousands of people were murdered over the last quarter of a century and that thousands of others were subjected to rights violations.
“All these incidents led to the waste of economic resources and dangerous divisions in society. However, Turkey has the necessary will, experience, belief and dynamic to solve its problems with common sense and consensus. The settlement of our country’s problems depends on civilian initiatives and a new civilian constitution. A constitution that is based on the principle of the equality of all citizens and respect for all individuals in society and the rule of law should be included in Turkey’s urgent agenda,” the declaration continued.
Participants at the meeting also voiced their determination to continue efforts for a widespread consensus in society for the resolution of Turkey’s chronic problems.
The declaration also spoke against the politicization of the judiciary, claiming that such a trend leads to weaker trust of the public in the justice system.
