Workshop calls for all-out resistance and international action against Turkish invasion

Upon the call and invitation of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), dozens of parties, organisations and institutions from Kurdistan, as well as writers, artists, intellectuals, academics, journalists, politicians and representatives of faiths, held a comprehensive conference via the 'Zoom' network on 8 July to take a stand against the invasion attacks of the Turkish state and to embrace the resistance of the Kurdistan People's Defence Forces.

The results of the workshop were transformed into a written appeal, which states the following:

"On 15.06.2024, the Turkish state launched a comprehensive operation on the Metîna, Zap and Avaşîn regions in the south of Kurdistan. At the same time, a large military deployment was made to the south of Kurdistan and the deployment continues. Unfortunately, the KDP administration has officially paved the way for the invading Turkish army and completely handed over the control of the places where Turkish troops are present to the Turkish army.

Since 25.06.2024, the invasion attacks of the Turkish state have entered a different phase. Turkey now sets up checkpoints like a host power and checks the identities of the people. In other words, it does not hide its occupation, it openly shows it. This shows that the Turkish state is gradually taking over the territory and authority of Southern Kurdistan as it expands its occupation attacks. On the other hand, the Turkish army burns the fields, gardens and nature of the people, bombs the villages and evacuates them one by one.

While the KDP administration has been helping the Turkish state so far, for some time now, the Iraqi government has become a partner of the Turkish state in a different way. The Turkish state promises the Iraqi government water and economy. Iraq should know well that the AKP-MHP government is acting with a neo-Ottoman mind. It wants to occupy the borders of Misak-ı Milli [The ‘National Pact’ adopted 104 years ago that takes all Kurdistan, that is, the region including northern Iraq and northern Syria, within the borders of the Turkish state], which is a nationalist and racist project. In order to achieve this goal, it is trying to intensify the war, to pit people against each other and to disrupt the atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

Intense battles are currently taking place in the Zap, Metîna, Avaşîn and Xakurkê regions. Guerrilla forces are resisting occupation and genocide with great heroism and sacrifice. We heartily congratulate this meaningful and great resistance. These great attacks are not only directed against the HPG forces, but also against all the gains of the Kurds and the occupation of Southern Kurdistan. First of all, the south of Kurdistan is the target of the attacks. The gains of the Kurdish people and the values of Kurdistan are being attacked. This aggression is also directed against the sovereignty of Iraq.

Their aims are known to us. The Turkish state wants the Kurds and all the components of Kurdistan (Assyrian, Syriac-Chaldean and others) not to be free in their own lands, but to be slaves and their countries to be under occupation. For a hundred years, the Turkish state has been building Turkish nationalisation on the destruction of other peoples.

The Turkish state is against Kurdish existence, against Kurdistan. It does not hide its intentions; it shows this with its cultural, political and military actions. In its attacks and operations, the Turkish state targets and destroys the demography and ecology of Kurdistan in a malicious and planned manner.

In 2017, the Turkish government supported the Baghdad government in its attack on Kirkuk, Xurmatû, Xaneqîn, Shengal and other districts in Iraq.

The Turkish state played a major role in ISIS' invasion attacks against Kurdistan, especially in the Kobanê attack, and collaborated with ISIS.

The Turkish state has been in an aggressive position against the cantons of Rojava (Western) Kurdistan and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria since day one. It has also established more than a hundred military and intelligence bases in the south of Kurdistan and uses these bases against the gains of our people.

Now it has launched a major attack in the Metîna, Zap and Avaşîn regions. So far, no national and international voices have been raised against this major operation as they should be, and the reactions are insufficient. Some officials of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the KDP officials in the first place, people who collaborate with the Turkish state and some media outlets close to it want to normalise the situation and distort the facts. This is a great threat, and this situation cannot be accepted in any way. This situation must not be seen as normal, this silence must be broken and great reactions against the occupation must be revealed. The forces of resistance must see our attitude and solidarity. With a strong unity and solidarity of our friends, we can end these attacks. The Turkish state is not that strong. We can destroy their power through national resistance.

First of all, a national and patriotic attitude must emerge. For this, all Kurdistan forces must take a position against the occupation and build a national and patriotic defence armour around the resistance at the highest level. A united position can change the silence of international political actors."

The declaration made the following appeal to the Kurdish people and their friends:

"1. With these attacks and repressions, the Turkish state wants to destroy all the gains of the people of Kurdistan and subject the Kurdish people to genocide. As the participants of the meeting, we are sensitive to this brutal attitude of the Turkish state, we oppose this attack with all our means, and we stand with the Kurdistan Defence Forces.

2. The lack of Kurdistan's internal unity weakens the defence of Kurdistan's gains and paves the way for enemies. This was seen most recently in the occupation of Kirkuk, Xaneqîn and Shengal. However, internal unity breaks the enemy attacks and paves the way for victory, as seen in the defence and victory of Kobanê. The meeting considers internal unity as a condition of existence and reiterates the call for strengthening national unity.

3. Strong support must be given to the Kurdistan Defence Forces in Kurdistan and abroad, and the Turkish state's occupation of Southern Kurdistan must be stopped in the spirit of defending Kobanê. In connection with this purpose, a diplomatic work based on strong unity, nationalism and patriotism should be carried out at home and abroad.

4. We are at a time when we must put up total resistance everywhere against the mass genocide attacks and act in a spirit of mobilisation. The meeting calls on the people of Kurdistan to take part in all kinds of work, actions and activities day and night, to stand by the resistance forces and to raise all-out resistance everywhere against the invasion attacks of the Turkish state.

5. The meeting calls on the Presidency of the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region, the government, Kurdistan’s parties and organisations and all the people of the region to oppose these invasion attacks of the Turkish state and to expel the Turkish army forces from Southern Kurdistan.

6. The meeting calls on the federal state of Iraq not to cooperate with the Turkish state, to cancel the border crossing agreements concluded with Turkey during the Saddam era, to oppose the Turkish state's invasion of Southern Kurdistan, to ban Turkish warplanes from Iraqi airspace, and to take practical measures to ensure that Turkish forces leave the borders of the federal state of Iraq.

7. The meeting calls on the League of Arab States to take a stand and protest against the Turkish state's invasion attacks in the south of Kurdistan.

8. The meeting calls on the United Nations, the European Union and all relevant powers not to remain silent and to take a stand against the attacks of the Turkish state against the Kurdish people.

9. The meeting calls on the friends of the Kurdish people and the democratic and conscientious world in general and says: "You have shown a good attitude in the battles of Kobanê, Efrîn, Girê Spî and Serêkaniyê, and we hope that you will show this attitude against this war as well. The Kurdish people need your solidarity and support."

10. The meeting calls on the people of Kurdistan and the friends of Kurdistan to refrain from economic transactions with Turkey and boycott Turkish tourism.

11. We, the personalities and representatives present at this meeting, take a stand against the invasion attacks of the Turkish state and reiterate our support to the Kurdistan Defence Forces and say; "Defending the areas of Metîna, Zap and Avaşîn is defending Kurdistan. We will support this resistance with all our means. We also ask all Kurdistan parties, organisations, institutions, personalities and all the people of Kurdistan to show the same attitude."