The Kurdistan Democratic Party responds to the wild allegations from the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK)

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said in a statement that the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the organizational umbrella for all institutions and organizations affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), is trying to hold the KDP responsible for its political, geographical, intellectual and public failures in all parts of Kurdistan for years. The statement said, that the KCK published a statement on August 23, 2020, in which it wants to hold the KDP responsible for its political, geographical, intellectual and public failures over the past years in all parts of Kurdistan. The statement indicates that, in the first place, the KCK's policies, practices and stances towards the Kurds and their issues, which have always been in the service of regional plans, seeks to put obstacles and barriers in front of the Kurdish people. It also added that the KCK has always secretly hid in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region instead of struggle for the cause of the Kurdish people in Northern Kurdistan (Kurdistan of Turkey), and in Shingal they welcomed and supported the Popular Mobilization Militia and established a force that brainwashed the children and recruited them under the name (Brotherhood of Peoples). Noting that KCK has always worked to drag Turkey to intervene within the borders of the Kurdistan Region from Zakho and Amedi, to Haji Omran, Qandil and Halabjah, and it used the refugees in Makhmour camp as human shields several times and conspire against the Kurdistan Region and cause chaos in its cities. The KDP indicated that the KCK left its areas in Northern Kurdistan and infiltrated the border areas in the Kurdistan Region, as a military and intelligence tool for regional projects, disguised behind the fictitious names invented by its leaders such as the so-called provinces (Haftanin, Afashin, Qandil and Defense Media) to drag the Turkish army to the border areas within the Region. Also, fees are imposed on Kurdish citizens, not to mention other violations and abuses aimed at destabilizing security and stability in the Region. The statement stressed that the KCK is now accusing the KDP, Ignoring that, according to the regulations in force in the Kurdistan Region; it is considered an illegal and illegitimate force and a disaster for the residents of the border areas in the Region. The KDP noted that, out of its responsibility towards the Kurdish issue in Turkey, it worked hard to bring peace and find a political solution in Northern Kurdistan, but the KCK blew up the peace talks through attacks and bloodshed, which plunged the Kurdish people in Northern Kurdistan into a cycle of political unrest at the hands of the PKK. It emphasized that the PKK did not want the best interest of the people of Northern Kurdistan, through correcting its policies, acting as a civil movement, and working to implement the slogans they raised for the freedom of the Kurdish people there, but they refused to abandon their ideology. Now the Kurds in Northern Kurdistan as well as in the South, West and East know that the KCK serves regional endeavours aimed at destroying the Kurdistan Region’s capability. It stressed that the KDP has always worked hard to establish strategy and diplomacy that takes into account the political, social and geographical situation in any part of Kurdistan through partisan action and struggle that serves the Kurdish people and their cause, not through an approach that adopts dozens of names and flags in the name of the Kurdish people, and work to erase the gains, spread violence and tarnish the image of the Kurds before the international community. The statement continued where KCK accused the KDP was behind the recent Turkish attacks on the border areas in the Kurdistan Region, underscoring that the PKK is the one who bears responsibility for these attacks, not to mention that it impedes the reconstruction of hundreds of villages in the region. Pointing out that the KCK statement speaks as if they are the absolute rulers, as if that region is their own, without any regard for the sovereignty of the Kurdistan Region. The statement confirmed, that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is a Region that is constitutionally recognized in the Iraqi constitution, and it has a parliament, government and legitimate institutions. Therefore, any political force or party from any other part of Kurdistan that comes to the region due to the conditions prevailing in their countries of origin, must respect the sovereignty and laws of the Kurdistan Region and not expose the Kurdistan Region as a political and constitutional entity to problems and crises with neighbouring states. It indicated that when Turkey invokes the presence of PKK elements to attack the border villages in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, the PKK leaders should assist the Parliament and the Kurdistan Regional Government and remove the Turkish pretexts, but the PKK is working hard to increase those arguments and pretexts for the Turkish attacks, which is something that no country in the world that respects its sovereignty can accept.

The statement added that the KCK interpreted the call of the Parliament and the Kurdistan Regional Government to respect the sovereignty of the region, as a call (to give up the struggle against the Turkish state), indicating that this ridiculous talk means that the PKK is unable to liberate an area of ​​the territory of Kurdistan of Turkey for the struggle against the Turkish state and the continuation of the armed struggle. As if the struggle against the Turkish state is not correct except from the mountains of the Kurdistan Region. As if the one who prevents the PKK from the armed struggle against the Turkish state from the mountains of Kurdistan of Turkey is the KDP. The KDP statement went on by saying, if the PKK had enough courage, it should transfer its armed struggle to the interior of Kurdistan of Turkey, not hundreds of kilometres from the Northern Kurdistan Region, and creating crises for the people, parliament and the government of the Kurdistan Region. The statement stated that the KCK is talking about the deployment of the Peshmerga in the areas of Zini and Warte, as if they are not part of the territory of the Kurdistan Region, or as if the decision of the deployment of the Peshmerga in these areas by the Regional Government is an infringement of the rights and powers of KCK. The KDP’s statement asked, “by what right do KCK leaders see it as their right to prevent the Peshmerga movements within the constitutional boundaries of the Kurdistan Region?” The statement also indicated that KCK claims to have come to the aid of the Yezidi Kurds in Shingal, and this is at a time when the Peshmerga forces, with the coalition forces, were about to launch a military operation to break the siege of ISIS on Kucho and liberate the Yazidi Kurds. It also asked, “If the KCK is able to answer, then let it reveal to the public who was the party that prevented the Peshmerga forces and the coalition from launching an operation to liberate Kucho?” The statement revealed that the PKK militants prevented the operation several times and after the brave Peshmerga liberated Shingal, the PKK declared a (canton) and made an agreement with the Popular Mobilization Forces and installed its flags instead of the Kurdistan flag, calling on Turkey to kill the Yazidis again. The Party’s statement responded to the KCK’s call for Kurdish national unity, and said, “was it not the PKK that obstructed the holding of the Kurdish National Congress several times?,” “was it not the PKK who burned the Kurdistan flags?” The question here is, “Do you burn the flag of Kurdistan or the flag of the Kurdistan Democratic Party?,” Is this flag not the flag of the Republic of Kurdistan that was raised in 1946 as a symbol of the aspirations of an occupied nation, obtaining a state for the first time?”

The KDP concluded its statement by saying that, after all these practices, the PKK should be ashamed of talking about Kurdish national unity, and ashamed of holding the KDP responsible for its failures over the past years, stressing that the true face of KCK has been revealed in all parts of Kurdistan that it is working to serve foreign projects hostile to the Kurds and do not stand as an authentic Kurdish force.