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Resolving the ongoing conflict in Turkey and finding a political solution to the Kurdish question

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13980 | 05 February 2016

Signatories:
Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Anastasia CHRISTODOULOPOULOU, Greece, UEL ; Mr Tuur ELZINGA, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Annette GROTH, Germany, UEL ; Mr Matjaž HANŽEK, Slovenia, UEL ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Ms Lotta JOHNSSON FORNARVE, Sweden, UEL ; Mr Ögmundur JÓNASSON, Iceland, UEL ; Ms Vasiliki KATRIVANOU, Greece, UEL ; Ms Ioanneta KAVVADIA, Greece, UEL ; Ms Filiz KERESTECİOĞLU DEMİR, Turkey, NR ; Ms Julia KRONLID, Sweden, NR ; Mr Ertuğrul KÜRKÇÜ, Turkey, UEL ; Mr George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Ms Ermira MEHMETI DEVAJA, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', SOC ; Mr Rasmus NORDQVIST, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Armen RUSTAMYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Ms Feleknas UCA, Turkey, UEL ; Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Levon ZOURABIAN, Armenia, ALDE

The peace talks – welcomed by Assembly’s Resolution 1925 (2013) which urged finding a political solution for the Kurdish question – between the Turkish government and Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), have been stalled since April 2015. Since then, violence spread across Kurdish cities and towns. Beside heavy combat casualties, hundreds civilians lost their lives. A total curfew, imposed on many Kurdish cities and towns pounded by heavy artillery and gunfire, deprives those affected of fundamental rights like access to drinking water, food, electricity, health care, and education, and denies inhabitants of besieged towns basic rights and freedoms to work and travel.

There is deep concern about the current situation and fear that Turkey might head to civil war if this situation is not resolved soon.

Therefore, the Parliamentary Assembly should investigate if and how it can assist in:

  • protecting fundamental human rights, especially the right to life, while urging the Turkish government to cease its military action on the affected cities;
  • resuming talks with the PKK leader for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question;
  • facilitating the ratification and implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (ETS No. 157) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ETS No. 148) and the adoption of a new democratic and pluralistic constitution by Turkey with the Venice Commission’s assistance, which will guarantee the recognition of the identity, cultural, social and political rights, including the right to education in the mother tongue, of Kurds and all other groups;
  • encouraging the Turkish authorities to reform local and regional government and introduce decentralisation in accordance with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government (ETS No. 122).