TURKISH SOCIAL DEMOCRACY September 2008
EUROPEAN BULLETIN
Republican People’s Party
www.chp.org.tr
CHP re-emphasises its position on the Kurdish issue: European democracy and regional development
Freedom for the expression of ethnic identities
Citizenship as a non-ethnic constitutional concept
Mobilisation for the Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP) with focus on the agriculture, energy, women rights and education.
Involvement of the civic society
Peaceful relations and co-operation with the neighbouring countries
SPEECH OF CHP PRESIDENT MR DENIZ BAYKAL PRESS CONFERENCE DIYARBAKIR – 5 JUNE 2008
Distinguished representatives of the press, dear friends, We are very happy to see here an increasing interest to our party and to its social democratic positions. We have witnessed very harsh conditions of life that our people are facing in the region. The farmers and peasants are faced with financial difficulties. While the input prices continuously increase, the product prices do not. Agriculture is gradually becoming an extremely tough occupation. Severe drought prevailing in the region makes the repayment of debts of the farmers even more difficult. The insurance system does not work effectively. The debt of the farmers in Sanlıurfa to Agriculture Bank and Agricultural Credit Cooperative is 735 billion liras whereas the debt to national or foreign private banks is as high as 300 trillion liras. Who is rescheduling the debt of the farmer? Agriculture Bank only. That is to say the debt of 300 trillion liras is not rescheduled. Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP) has been the most important project of our Republic for more than 50 years. I have learned with pleasure that the government is trying to develop a new and comprehensive policy about the SAP as a result of CHP’s warnings and efforts in this regard. GAP has two pillars: energy and irrigation. Concerning the energy investments the aim was the production of 27 billion kilowatt hours of electricity production, using the potential of the rivers of Euphrates and Tigris. Most of these investments have already been realized so far. That is to say, 20 out of 27 billion kilowatt-hours are now being produced. We do not have major problems regarding the electricity production aspect of the project but investments in the field of irrigation have been unfortunately
grossly neglected. The farmers could have the possibility to increase their production by four times in case irrigation projects are completed. Unfortunately only 15 % of the irrigation projects have been completed so far. In Turkey, more than 20 billion dollars have been spent for GAP up to now. If we allocate now 5 billion dollars more for irrigation we will come up with a significant increase in the welfare of the people in the region. It would be possible to irrigate an area of 1.8 million hectare with the water of Euphrates and Tigris, while an area of only 200.000 hectares is actually being irrigated. Today, we have met 22 non-governmental organizations of Diyarbakir, two writers and an esteemed nonMuslim religious leader. In the last couple of months, I have met for the third time the leaders of NGOs of the region. Region of Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP)
Dear friends, The basic way to solve all our problems is dialogue. Everybody may have different opinions but we have to know what everyone thinks. We have to understand each other and reflect on each others ideas. I have the impression that the climate of tension, violence and clash that prevailing in Southeastern Anatolia until recently is being gradually transformed into a more positive one. We have the ability to eliminate tensions and violence, and create an atmosphere where all problems could be solved.
Without doubt, one of the requirements of a peaceful atmosphere is the elimination of terrorism in the region. It seems that the relations between terrorists and the authorities in Northern Iraq are being deteriorated. This positive development will have domestic repercussions in Turkey as well. Our basic approach about this issue is the following: Turkey is not a country based on the differentiation of people on the basis of race or blood. Turkey is a country of togetherness, a country of political consciousness, a country formed by people coming together as a result of their political preferences. There is no discrimination on the basis of blood or race. We are a state originated from an empire in which different sects, beliefs, ethnic identities lived together. However, we should be aware that none of the ethnic identities should be considered as a challenge against the state. The state sees a person as a citizen and is not interested with his or her ethnic identity. The state has to be ethnically blind. Every citizen can develop his or her ethnicity as he or she wishes. The state does not have right to determine and shape the ethnicity of anybody. The state is a political organization of the people. The society has been existed before the state. Our state does not have the policy of assimilation. The policy of our Party had been made public in our report of 1989 where we explained our position on Kurdish issue. We have always maintained wholeheartedly this position. If our ideas had been implemented by the previous governments Turkey would not have faced with most of the sufferings and difficulties that it had lived. The ethnic identity of a person is his or her dignity. Nobody has the right to interfere in the dignity of somebody else. In this respect, we have two sensitive issues: First, nobody should try to use terrorism as a way to make politics. To try to solve problems through terrorism is out dated and not acceptable. Terrorism is an extremely pitiful and deplorable situation. It is an expression of a mood of failure and hopelessness. Nobody should expect any solution from terrorism.
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At this point, we need a complete national and international consensus. Terrorism and violence should be completely rejected by everyone. People involved in terrorism should be persuaded and discouraged. The atmosphere of tension, hostility and animosity feeding terrorism ought to be replaced by the culture of dialogue, mutual respect, cooperation and good will. Second, we cannot solve problems by disintegration of the country. All over the world people encourage integration, like Turkey’s integration to the EU. Through our integration, we will give the 27 member states of the EU the right to intervene in our destiny. Shall we disintegrate our country while trying to integrate ourselves to the EU? First, we should decide together as the Turkish people on our common future. Then, through our integration to the EU we should decide our common future with our European friends. Everyone would win from such a scenario. th
After the disintegration process of the empires in the 19 century, the world, as well as Europe, is now going towards a course of integration. In such a period, it would be a historical controversy and an anachronism to drag Turkey into a wave of nationalism. We are all part of the same nation. For instance, we have Arab citizens in our city of Hatay and there are Arabs in Syria. So there are Arabs of Turkey and the Arabs living in Syria are the Arabs of Syria. Is there a problem about that? They live the destiny of that country, so we do not have the right to decide on their fate. We do not have the right to make a judgment on the identity of a citizen of Georgian origin living in Artvin, neither a Kurdish person in Diyarbakir. In the meanwhile, Turkey will develop friendly relations with its neighbors, with Iraq and Syria, and support their development process. I have made public a few months ago our new approach towards the region in which we proposed giving scholarships to Iraqi, Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen students in Turkey, opening a new border gate with Iraq, to cooperate in the field of irrigation, building dams which would serve the interest of our neighbors as well increasing their welfare, etc. The only obstacle in its realization is either unnecessary animosities in our minds or violence and terrorism reflecting such animosities. It is not possible to talk about freedom of expression when the belief of the sacred issues is at stake. That is why; we have shown a big reaction to the caricatures of Hz. Mohammed printed in Denmark. We do not believe in such a freedom of expression. We should respect all the prophets. CHP is a party, which truly rejects ethnic hostilities. We are friend of everybody and we do love everybody. If one has to characterize the sentiments between the Kurds and CHP, it is one of love and respect.
CHP Representation to the European Union 11, Rond-Point Schuman, 1000 BRUSSELS
T : + 32 2 256 7537
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F : + 32 2 256 5703
kader.sevinc@chp.org.tr