DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan answered questions about the agenda at the congress organized by the Party of the Oppressed (ESP) in Ankara. When asked about the details of the meeting of DEM Party Şanlıurfa Deputy Ömer Öcalan with his uncle, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, Bakırhan stated, "We do not have details; the state is already monitoring the meeting. We rely on what Ömer Öcalan has conveyed. I consider it important. Öcalan has expressed that this issue should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation; this cannot be achieved merely through words; a legal and political ground needs to be established. This is not something within our control. We are curious about what the government will do. "THE KURDISH ISSUE WILL BE SOLVED THROUGH DEMOCRATIC MEANS"If a legal and political ground is established, I am sure that the Kurdish issue, which has caused all the problems of this country for centuries, can be resolved through democratic means. Otherwise, an understanding that remains only in words and instrumentalizes this issue will do a disservice to the country. As DEM Party, we have stated that we will fulfill all our duties and responsibilities in the Parliament to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation... One of our friends said, 'Kurdish peace is ready in the pocket; what does Turkey say, what does the government say?' We need to look at that." "NO ONE CAN BE HAPPY IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE KURD IS NOT HAPPY"Bakırhan commented on MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's words at the Ziya Gökalp Symposium, "If there is a Turk who does not love Kurds, he is not a Turk; if there is a Kurd who does not love Turks, he is not a Kurd," stating, "In a country where the Kurd is beaten, does not smile, and is not happy, no one can be happy. I agree; I think it is time for Turks and Kurds, as well as other peoples and faiths, to respect each other's rights and to establish a way of living together. Positive and important words are being spoken in these discussions by many actors, but we need to reach a point that goes beyond words because the country urgently needs practical steps that go beyond words." WILL THEY VISIT THE AK PARTY AND MHP?In response to reminders about news that "the DEM Party will visit the AK Party and MHP at the level of General Chairpersons," Tuncer Bakırhan said, "Our committees will meet again in the coming days, and our roadmap will be determined there. I don't know if there will be a discussion on this topic, but our committees will decide on it," he said.
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