Professor Vamık Volkan, who delivered the opening speech of the seminar, said he hopes the solution process will be concluded with small steps taken, adding that his heart aches when he recalls the pains suffered by both Turks and Kurds in the country.
Describing the Kurdish question as a “subtle issue,” Professor Murat Belge said society will solve this issue with tolerance and acceptance of others’ differences. “The point which has been reached today concerning this issue is promising,” said Belge.
Şerafettin Elçi, a Kurdish politician who leads the pro-Kurdish Participatory Democracy Party (KADEP), said injustice lies behind the lack of peace in society, noting that the state needs to ensure this principle so that future generations can live in peace and happiness.
“We need to understand that we must focus more on the nation than the state. The establishment of a state according to a single ethnicity leads to destruction.