Following Abdullah Öcalan’s historic call on February 27, the ‘Initiative for Unity’ was established in Amed (tr: Diyarbakır) under the leadership of Kurdish political parties, civil society organizations, opinion leaders, representatives of faith and democratic institutions, and elected officials. The establishment of the platform was announced at the Çand Amed Congress Center, which was covered with banners reading “We will succeed through unity” in Kurdish (Kurmanci and Zazaki), Turkish, Arabic, Syriac, and Armenian.

Speaking here, Orhan Ayaz called for support for the process that began after Öcalan’s ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’. “May this process be an opportunity for peace and freedom,” said Ayaz, adding that they had been working for nine months on the declaration of the initiative.

The meeting began with a moment of silence following the selection of the presiding committee. Speaking on behalf of the committee, Saliha Aydeniz, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Member of Parliament for Mardin, expressed her hope that the conference would serve as an opportunity for an honorable peace and emphasized the importance of unity. Aydeniz said that Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a member of the İmralı Delegation who lost his life on May 3, had been part of the 2013-2015 process and the new process, stood by the Kurdish people, and never compromised on the work. She said, “A Kurdish conference was held in North-East Syria to raise awareness of the February 27 call and ensure that it achieves its goal. We hope that these conferences will conduce toward unity.”

Referring to the PKK's 12th Congress, Saliha Aydeniz said, “They announced that the results would be made public soon. As the current process is of great importance, we must strengthen our unity and fulfill our responsibility through it.”

Speaking on behalf of the Initiative for Unity, DEM Party Van MP Sinan Çiftyürek said, “We send our greetings to the people in the four parts of Kurdistan. We want everyone to support this Initiative for Unity. We traveled from city to city, striving to reach people. We sought those who were Kurdish and patriotic. At our meeting, we first requested permission for this unity. We then decided to establish a secretariat. We decided to expand the secretariat to ensure the work progresses. We carried out this work in Van, Amed, and the metropolitan areas. Subsequently, we formed a delegation.”

Sinan Çiftyürek added, “Talks are being held with Mr. Öcalan. There is hope for a solution to the Kurdish question. This hope continues today. Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan called for peace and a democratic society, after which the PKK held its congress. The state can no longer say, 'We cannot resolve issues under the shadow of weapons.' They should take steps to resolve the Kurdish question. Let us work together to achieve a 'Democratic Society' and an honorable peace.”

Following the speeches, the meeting continued closed to the press. The Initiative for Unity will announce its declaration tomorrow.