'The peoples of the Middle East can no longer be governed by nation-states' 

2025-09-23 11:43:40


	 

	 

	IZMIR - Besriye Tekgür, a member of the DEM Party Women's Assembly Coordination, emphasized that Abdullah Öcalan's call for “Peace and a Democratic Society” is a universal call, stating, “The peoples of the Middle East can no longer be governed by nation-states.”

	 

	The unsolved Kurdish issue continues to deepen social, political, and humanitarian crises in Turkey and the Middle East. Faced with this impasse, Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan's “Call for Peace and a Democratic Society” on February 27 gave new direction and breath to the ongoing struggle. 

	 

	Abdullah Öcalan's call not only offered a new perspective on the coexistence of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples on the basis of freedom and equality, but also presented a universal vision for the construction of peace and a democratic society in Kurdistan, Turkey, and the entire Middle East.

	 

	Besriye Tekgür, a member of the Women's Council Coordination of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), shared her thoughts on Abdullah Öcalan's call. 

	 

	‘The peace process will affect all countries’ 

	 

	Besriye Tekgür stated that the resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey would enable the peoples of the Middle East to live in equality and freedom in their own lands, with a form of government that allows them to practice their own beliefs and use their own languages. She said, "The end of the conflict in Turkey and the peace process, which will enable the Kurdish and Turkish peoples to live together as equals, will affect all countries. It will definitely affect the peoples there in terms of their demands, their rights, their freedoms, and their desired way of life, and it will set an example. In that sense, it is not only a solution for Turkey, but also a call, a perspective for the Middle East in particular and the whole world in general. So what we see here is this: For centuries, there has been a struggle against this mono-ideological mindset, against nation-states. 

	 

	It is also clear that the monolithic mindset is no longer a system accepted by the peoples of these lands. In that sense, Mr. Öcalan's call is very important. It creates a model for both the peoples of Turkey and the Middle East. If this model is put into practice, it will also pave the way for all women, Druze, Alevis, and other peoples in the Middle East." 

	 

	‘It will pave the way for all Middle Eastern peoples’

	 

	Recalling Israel’s attacks targeting civilians in Palestine over the past year, Besriye Tekgür said, “We must condemn this war policy, or rather this policy of occupation and territorial expansion, that Israel has been pursuing against the Palestinian people, especially civilians, for a year now. Israel actually has a policy of becoming a power and expanding its borders. We see a mono-ethnic nation-state mentality. Naturally, under this administration, we see a policy that believes only they should exist and other peoples should be eliminated. We saw the same thing in Syria. 

	 

	With HTŞ coming to power, we also see the massacre of the Druze and Alawites living there. Therefore, this mentality must be eliminated as soon as possible. In other words, they say ‘one state, one nation, one religion’. As soon as HTŞ leader Colani came to power, he said, ‘Arab republic and Islam as the religion’. There is not only Arab and Islam there. There are multiple faiths and multiple peoples. So, if we think about it as a whole, if this peace process in Turkey progresses and a democratic peace environment is established, this model will actually pave the way for the peoples of Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon."

	 

	‘The peoples of the Middle East cannot be governed by nation-states’

	 

	Following attacks on Druze and Alevis in Syria, Besriye Tekgür stated that both Alevis and Druze came together to defend themselves and developed self-defense mechanisms, adding, “This shows us that the peoples of the Middle East can no longer be governed by the nation-state mentality. There is also the reality that Abdullah Öcalan's democratic, ecological, and women's liberation perspective has come to life all over the world, especially in the Middle East. 

	 

	Rojava is actually a visible model in the Middle East. We see that many peoples live together; we see a particularly women's liberation model, where women participate, develop self-defense, and all peoples live together without war. The emergence of this model in the Middle East actually presents a model where all peoples live together."

	 

	‘Women are agents of peace, not war’

	 

	Expressing that women are on the side of peace, not war, Besriye Tekgür said, “It is male states that start wars. War is a process created by nation-states and a monolithic mindset. Women have never been supporters of war. Women are the pioneers of peace processes. The demands of women in the Middle East, in particular, are decisive. We have also seen this in Rojava; women are actually both the pioneers of peace and the guardians who protect that life. 

	 

	In Rojava, we see examples of women who build life, build coexistence, and weave life in terms of ecology, freedom, and equality. The Rojava model was a process accepted worldwide. Women, especially Kurdish women in the Middle East, have achieved great things all over the world. We also see in this process that, especially the DEM Party Women's Assembly, met with women in all areas as soon as the process began. Women do not want war."

	 

	‘Women play a major role in the process’

	 

	Noting that women are the protective pioneers of the struggle, Besriye Tekgür emphasized the importance of women's struggle in this process, stating: “Despite the pressures in Turkey and the Middle East, it is women who have never bowed down and have not abandoned their spaces under all those difficult conditions. Women play a major role in this process and are the subjects of the process.”