The EU Turkey Civic Commission welcomes the adoption by the Turkish Parliament of the Framework Law “on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration” as an important step in the peace process. After decades of armed conflict, establishing a legal framework for bringing the conflict to an end represents a significant political development and creates an opportunity to transform the current process into a sustainable peace process.
At the same time, the law is not sufficient to ensure lasting peace and a democratic resolution of the Kurdish question. The democratic and human rights conditions necessary for sustainable peace remain insufficiently addressed.
Öcalan Must Be Able to Fully Participate in the Peace Process
Particular importance must be attached to the situation of Abdullah Öcalan. As a central interlocutor and actor in the peace process, he must be able to participate freely and without undue restrictions. A peace process that relies on his person and political role while denying him the necessary means of communication and political engagement remains contradictory.
A Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process Can Strengthen Regional Stability
The significance of this process extends far beyond Türkiye’s borders. A peaceful and democratic resolution of the conflict would contribute substantially to stability and security across the wider region. It could help reduce the drivers of displacement, facilitate the voluntary and sustainable return of refugees and displaced people, and lessen the pressures contributing to irregular migration towards Europe.
A peace process cannot be reduced to the cessation of armed violence. Peace and democracy are mutually dependent. Further legislative and political steps are therefore required to address the structural causes of the conflict and guarantee equal political, cultural and social rights for all citizens of Türkiye.
EU Must Take Political Responsibility and Remove the PKK from Its Terrorist List
The European Union, and the European Parliament in particular, have an important responsibility. The EU should politically support the current process while making clear that peace, the rule of law, human rights and democratic standards must advance together. In this context, the EU should also consider whether the continuation of the peace process and the transformation of the conflict fundamentally alter the political context in which the EU’s terrorist-list designation of the PKK is maintained. The EU Turkey Civic Commission is convinced that removing the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations would promote a lasting and democratic peace.
The Council of Europe and its institutions — in particular the Committee of Ministers, the Venice Commission and the Commissioner for Human Rights — should actively accompany the process and make their expertise available on the rule of law, human rights, decentralisation and democratic institutions. Implementation of relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights must remain a central benchmark, including with regard to Abdullah Öcalan.
The EU Turkey Civic Commission considers the adoption of the law an important momentum for transforming the current process into a sustainable peace process and a democratic society. The time has now come to take the next courageous steps so that peace, equality, regional stability and a shared democratic future can become possible for all people in Türkiye. The European Union should respond to this momentum with clear political engagement and concrete support for a democratic and inclusive peace process. It should use its political instruments and relations with Türkiye to encourage further reforms, strengthen democratic actors and civil society, and ensure that human rights, the rule of law and democratic standards remain at the centre of the process. The EU should not merely observe developments, but actively contribute to creating the conditions under which a lasting and democratic peace can be achieved.
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EU Turkey Civic Commission
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