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ARF WELCOMES OCALAN LETTER TO ARMENIANS WITH 'RESERVATIONS'
http://asbarez.com/120111/arf-welcomes-ocalan-letter-to-armenians-with-%E2%80%98reservations%E2%80%99/
Friday, February 28th, 2014
Hagop Der-Khachadourian, Turkey's Kurdish-leaning Peace and Democracy
Party (BDP) co-chairman Salaheddin Demirtas, BDP foreign relations
director who is elected from Van, Nazmi Gur pictured in October, 2013
YEREVAN--In a recent interview with the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Press Office, ARF Bureau member and head of the party's
Political Central Council Hagop Der-Khachadourian spoke about a letter
published last month by the Istanbul-based Agos Armenian newspaper
from Kurdistan Workers Party's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan. In the
letter addressed to Armenians, Ocalan calls on Ankara to recognize
the Armenian Genocide. Below is the text of the interview:
ARF Press Office: About four weeks ago, on the occasion of the
anniversary of Hrant Dink's assassination, PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan's letter was first published in Istanbul's "Agos" weekly. So
far, the ARF-D has not officially commented on this letter; what is
the party's official position?
HAGOP DER KHACHADOURIAN: First, I should say that Ocalan's letter was
published later than expected, presumably because it had to go through
the corresponding Turkish state structures. About twenty days before
the publication of the letter, Ocalan had announced that on "the day
of the anniversary of Hrant's assassination"--that is January 19--
he will send such a letter "directed to our Armenian compatriots." It
was exactly then that Bese Hozat, a co-chair of an organization led by
Ocalan, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), had made controversial
statements about Armenians. Ocalan, in response to the indignation
regarding the statements by Hozat, had announced that he will send a
letter to convince the Armenians. However, Ocalan's letter does not
clearly fulfill the required rectification.
ARF Press Office: Do you mean to say that you are dissatisfied with
the letter?
H.DK.: We welcome the fact that the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish
people's liberation struggle, Apo, has sent a letter to the Armenians.
The circumstances, in his words "the difficult conditions" in which
Ocalan is, should absolutely be taken into consideration and the
contents of the letter should be understood and evaluated accordingly.
We are glad, that once again, Ocalan gives the Armenian Genocide the
proper characterization and considers that the Republic of Turkey
will inevitably have to confront this painful history.
What are incomprehensible in Ocalan's letter are the references
to "lobbies" and "cemaat" (communities). In a letter addressed to
the Armenians these references at the minimum cause bewilderment:
are these references regarding Armenian communities and lobbies in
the Diaspora? Especially that Ocalan calls on the Armenian people to
"continue its struggle without falling into racist-nationalist traps"
and, against all those, "calls for a careful, clear examination of the
issue." There were negative expressions about Armenian lobbies in the
Diaspora or in Turkey in Hozat's comments too, and, about a year ago,
in purported comments by Ocalan himself. In the Diaspora, what are
called "Armenian lobbies" are the active structures which express
the political will of large popular masses of the Armenian people.
I do not comment on evaluations and criticism which appeared in the
Armenian media regarding thoughts expressed or not expressed in the
letter. Apart from all this, we have strong reservations --to put it
mildly-- about Apo's reference to Turkey's prospect, that it can become
"a republic crowned with democracy, which will both come to terms
with the past and be a republic in which all different identities
will live freely."
However, I repeat that this appeal by itself, in spite of its
shortcomings and contradictory thoughts, is a welcome step which can
pave the road to the development of Armenian-Kurdish relations. Of
course, those relations should be based also on justice for the
Armenian Genocide and the rights of the Armenian people, as assurance
to the establishment of real democracy and equal rights.
http://asbarez.com/120111/arf-welcomes-ocalan-letter-to-armenians-with-%E2%80%98reservations%E2%80%99/
Friday, February 28th, 2014
Hagop Der-Khachadourian, Turkey's Kurdish-leaning Peace and Democracy
Party (BDP) co-chairman Salaheddin Demirtas, BDP foreign relations
director who is elected from Van, Nazmi Gur pictured in October, 2013
YEREVAN--In a recent interview with the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Press Office, ARF Bureau member and head of the party's
Political Central Council Hagop Der-Khachadourian spoke about a letter
published last month by the Istanbul-based Agos Armenian newspaper
from Kurdistan Workers Party's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan. In the
letter addressed to Armenians, Ocalan calls on Ankara to recognize
the Armenian Genocide. Below is the text of the interview:
ARF Press Office: About four weeks ago, on the occasion of the
anniversary of Hrant Dink's assassination, PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan's letter was first published in Istanbul's "Agos" weekly. So
far, the ARF-D has not officially commented on this letter; what is
the party's official position?
HAGOP DER KHACHADOURIAN: First, I should say that Ocalan's letter was
published later than expected, presumably because it had to go through
the corresponding Turkish state structures. About twenty days before
the publication of the letter, Ocalan had announced that on "the day
of the anniversary of Hrant's assassination"--that is January 19--
he will send such a letter "directed to our Armenian compatriots." It
was exactly then that Bese Hozat, a co-chair of an organization led by
Ocalan, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), had made controversial
statements about Armenians. Ocalan, in response to the indignation
regarding the statements by Hozat, had announced that he will send a
letter to convince the Armenians. However, Ocalan's letter does not
clearly fulfill the required rectification.
ARF Press Office: Do you mean to say that you are dissatisfied with
the letter?
H.DK.: We welcome the fact that the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish
people's liberation struggle, Apo, has sent a letter to the Armenians.
The circumstances, in his words "the difficult conditions" in which
Ocalan is, should absolutely be taken into consideration and the
contents of the letter should be understood and evaluated accordingly.
We are glad, that once again, Ocalan gives the Armenian Genocide the
proper characterization and considers that the Republic of Turkey
will inevitably have to confront this painful history.
What are incomprehensible in Ocalan's letter are the references
to "lobbies" and "cemaat" (communities). In a letter addressed to
the Armenians these references at the minimum cause bewilderment:
are these references regarding Armenian communities and lobbies in
the Diaspora? Especially that Ocalan calls on the Armenian people to
"continue its struggle without falling into racist-nationalist traps"
and, against all those, "calls for a careful, clear examination of the
issue." There were negative expressions about Armenian lobbies in the
Diaspora or in Turkey in Hozat's comments too, and, about a year ago,
in purported comments by Ocalan himself. In the Diaspora, what are
called "Armenian lobbies" are the active structures which express
the political will of large popular masses of the Armenian people.
I do not comment on evaluations and criticism which appeared in the
Armenian media regarding thoughts expressed or not expressed in the
letter. Apart from all this, we have strong reservations --to put it
mildly-- about Apo's reference to Turkey's prospect, that it can become
"a republic crowned with democracy, which will both come to terms
with the past and be a republic in which all different identities
will live freely."
However, I repeat that this appeal by itself, in spite of its
shortcomings and contradictory thoughts, is a welcome step which can
pave the road to the development of Armenian-Kurdish relations. Of
course, those relations should be based also on justice for the
Armenian Genocide and the rights of the Armenian people, as assurance
to the establishment of real democracy and equal rights.