Kurdistan: ‘Turkey must choose between the status quo, endless war and peace with the Kurds’.

Monday 17 March 2025, by Salih Azad


Following the appeal by Abudllah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), for his movement to lay down its arms, what are the prospects for the Kurdish people? L’Anticapitaliste spoke with Salih Azad, head of the Kurdish Democratic Centre in Marseille.


Can you shed some light on Öcalan’s call? Will the PKK dissolve itself?

Discreet talks have been going on for some time and have taken a positive turn. The PKK was founded in the 1970s against a backdrop of the Cold War in which armed struggle was the only possible option. This struggle led to recognition of the existence of the Kurdish people and, above all, of their fight for their legitimate rights. In 2025, conditions are different. The PKK as it existed has ‘had its day’ and a new chapter may be opening today. If the Turkish state is prepared to listen to Öcalan’s appeal, if the Kurdish question is no longer seen as a question of terrorism, a peaceful and democratic solution may be possible.

Twice in 25 years, most recently in 2009, Öcalan has made attempts in this direction, both of which failed. Turkey (a nation-state of Turks alone) is the consequence of the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire after 1918, to the sole benefit of the British and French imperialists. This model is no longer viable. Given the situation in the Middle East, Turkey is at a crossroads and can no longer pursue the policy it has pursued to date.

Turkey must choose between the status quo, endless war and peace with the Kurds. This will not be easy. This war has claimed more than 10,000 victims on both sides; 5,000 villages have been razed to the ground; deportations and torture have gone on for forty years.

Can we trust Erdoğan?

Turkey has no other choice. The Turks, but the Kurds too, aspire to live in peace.

Does Öcalan’s appeal also concern Kurdish organisations in Syria, Iraq or Iran?

For the moment, no. It is up to the Kurds in these regions to decide freely on their strategy.

If this process succeeds, what will be the effects on the region?

The effects could be very significant. We may be on the brink of a historic moment. But let’s not forget that ISIS is still a mortal danger for the region, especially after Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power in Syria through al-Qaeda and ISIS, and is still supported by Erdoğan.

Thousands of jihadist prisoners of all nationalities were being held in camps in Syria and are about to be released. Their children, indoctrinated in the ideology of ISIS for years could be a real danger.

What will happen to the Rojava ‘model’ in this context?

Rojava will continue to uphold its multinational, multi-faith and democratic ‘model’, especially if Turkey’s ‘anti-terrorist’ war comes to an end. If this peace process succeeds, if the ‘terrorist’ label disappears, the whole Kurdish question will take on a different character and will finally be able to be extended. This could be the first step towards the community of free peoples to which we have long aspired. Not a ‘Kurdish state’, but a free, secular, democratic state for all the peoples living in this land: Kurds, Turks, Arabs, Persians and so on.

All in all, are you rather optimistic?

Yes, I admit that I am optimistic. As I said, Turkey has no other solution. And this issue will eventually affect other states in the region, like Iran perhaps. That’s my hope for the whole of the Middle East.

L’Anticapitaliste 7 March 2025


Attached documentskurdistan-turkey-must-choose-between-the-status-quo-endless_a8903.pdf (PDF - 899.9 KiB)
Extraction PDF [->article8903]


Salih Azad
Salih Azad is head of the Kurdish Democratic Centre in Marseille.


International Viewpoint is published under the responsibility of the Bureau of the Fourth International. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect editorial policy. Articles can be reprinted with acknowledgement, and a live link if possible.