10.03.2026 15:20
Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chair of the DEM Party, responded to MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli's statement regarding Iran, in which he said, "Kurds are not trigger men." Bakırhan stated, "Stop giving advice to the Kurds."
The leader of the MHP, Devlet Bahçeli, evaluated the developments in Iran during his party's group meeting in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, stating, "No Kurdish brothers should serve as mercenaries for any power that smells the environment to send them to the field. My Kurdish brothers are not for sale, are not rented, and are not hitmen." Following Bahçeli, striking statements came from Tuncer Bakırhan, Co-Chair of the DEM Party, who spoke at his party's group meeting.
Speaking about the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran and the missiles that have fallen on Turkey, Bakırhan said, "Wherever a bullet explodes in the world, analysts with a penchant for seeking out Kurds suddenly appear on screen, making statements like a memorandum. Politicians who see themselves as protectors of the Kurds and those analysts who have made it their profession to advise the Kurds should stop making statements like: 'Kurds should understand that foreign powers no longer benefit them... Kurds should not allow themselves to be used as a card...'"
"THE IRANIAN REGIME HAS SOWN OPPRESSION, NOW REAPING ANGER"
Criticizing the Iranian regime, Bakırhan stated, "The Iranian regime has invested its existence in weapons instead of gaining the consent of the peoples and beliefs. It has banned all forms of freedom for women. It has failed to manage the economy. It has not recognized freedoms for identities. It has executed dozens of Kurds and dissidents every day. In its relationship with the Iranian people, it has sown oppression and is now reaping anger."
"FOREIGN INTERVENTIONS DO NOT BRING DEMOCRACY"
Bakırhan said, "Changing a regime in a country through foreign interventions does not bring democracy and happiness to that country. This is the second most important point we can draw from this war."
Stating that the path to democracy and prosperity in the country lies in the people's struggle, Bakırhan said, "As the war grows, it is not borders that widen, but pains; while global and regional powers clash, peoples are crushed. Foreign interventions must cease, and denialist regimes must change. We are not only against foreign interventions; we are also in favor of changing this denialist regime."
"DO NOT ADVISE THE KURDS"
Despite the known approach of the Kurds and the DEM Party, Bakırhan stated that there are those who insist on advising the Kurds, and he continued his statement as follows:
"Look, wherever a bullet explodes in the world, analysts with a penchant for seeking out Kurds suddenly appear on screen. They make statements like a memorandum. I emphasize this point: Politicians who see themselves as protectors of the Kurds and those analysts who have made it their profession to advise the Kurds should stop making statements like: 'Kurds should understand that foreign powers no longer benefit them... Kurds should not allow themselves to be used as a card...' Stop obscuring the truth with this empty rhetoric, and cease advising the Kurds."
"IF KURDS ARE BEING DISCUSSED TODAY, THE RESPONSIBLE PARTIES ARE SYKES-PICOT AND REGIONAL STATES"
Bakırhan expressed that the whole world has been discussing the Kurds through Iran for the past week, and he noted:
"A month ago, the world was also discussing the Kurds, with Syria as the focus. Why is the world constantly talking about the Kurds? Put your hat in front of you. If the Kurds are not equal and free citizens in the countries they live in, if they live without identity, under oppression and tyranny, of course, the Kurds will be discussed. What will we talk about in Iran? Of course, we will talk about the Kurds without identity. Those who accuse the Kurds of being used have ignored the Kurds for a century with policies of denial and assimilation. If the Kurds are being discussed today, the responsible parties are the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the regional states. Those who lament why the world is talking about the Kurds should first ask themselves where they went wrong."
"RECOGNIZE THE WILL OF THE KURDS"
Bakırhan explained what needs to be done for the Kurds not to be discussed: "Is there a fear of what the Kurds will do when a gun fires? The way to alleviate this fear is clear. Recognize the rights and will of the Kurds as a people. Let the Kurds live their language, identity, and culture freely. Let them be equal citizens, not stepchildren, of the countries they live in."
WHAT ÖCALAN, BARZANI, AND TALABANI SAID
Bakırhan stated that the Kurds and Kurdish leaders seek solutions not outside but in the countries they live in, and he continued:
"Abdullah Öcalan has been seeking solutions in the region for years. He invited Iran to democracy, saying, 'Recognize the peoples and beliefs.' He also told the Kurds, 'Do not become part of a regional war, but unite and fight against those who disregard you.' Mesut Barzani and Nechirvan Barzani clearly stated that the Kurdistan Regional Government does not pose a threat to any neighbor. Bafil Talabani made this historic warning: 'It would be a great mistake to use the Kurds as the spearhead in this war.' The message from the Kurds and their leaders is clear and honorable: Do not see the Kurds as a threat. Recognize and accept the Kurds as a people that will contribute to regional peace. I state clearly: Neither Iran, nor Israel, nor America has the right to turn the 'Federal Kurdistan territories' and the Kurdish cities in Iran into their battlefield."