BDP delegation visits the United States
06:58 - 2 May 2012
Kurdpa: A delegation of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) consisting of Selahattin Demirtas and Gultan Kisanak, co-chairs of the party, Ahmet Turk , the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) chairman and member of the Turkish Parliament from Mardin, as well as Van MP Nazmi Gur, visited the U.S. on Monday, April 23.
The Kurdish delegation was greeted by a large crowd of enthusiastic Kurds awaiting their arrival at the Dulles International Airport. A town hall meeting was held for them shortly after their arrival.
The delegation\'s visiting program started with a forum on the Turkey’s Kurdish question at the Brookings Institute. The event titled “A Conversation with Turkey’s Kurdish Leadership” was arranged to analyze Turkey\'s approach to lingering problems in dealing with the Kurdish minority at home and in the region.
In this conference, Demirtas defined the Kurdish issue in Turkey as an economic and political matter. He argued that the Kurdish issue should be taken into consideration as a question of the right of self-government as well. \"From our perspective, Kurdish conflict in Turkey is not a problem between Turkish people and Kurdish people; it is a conflict between a state and Kurdish people who have been subject to assimilation and denial of their identity,\"
Speaking after Demirtas, Ahmet Turk emphasized that violence is not a way of resolving the Kurdish issue, adding that this issue will be solved with negotiation and dialogue.
The BDP delegation also met the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Philip Gordon, the Turkish Embassy officials to the US, the Kurdistan Regional Government\'s representative in the U.S and other Kurdish political representatives in the US.
The Kurdish delegation was greeted by a large crowd of enthusiastic Kurds awaiting their arrival at the Dulles International Airport. A town hall meeting was held for them shortly after their arrival.
The delegation\'s visiting program started with a forum on the Turkey’s Kurdish question at the Brookings Institute. The event titled “A Conversation with Turkey’s Kurdish Leadership” was arranged to analyze Turkey\'s approach to lingering problems in dealing with the Kurdish minority at home and in the region.
In this conference, Demirtas defined the Kurdish issue in Turkey as an economic and political matter. He argued that the Kurdish issue should be taken into consideration as a question of the right of self-government as well. \"From our perspective, Kurdish conflict in Turkey is not a problem between Turkish people and Kurdish people; it is a conflict between a state and Kurdish people who have been subject to assimilation and denial of their identity,\"
Speaking after Demirtas, Ahmet Turk emphasized that violence is not a way of resolving the Kurdish issue, adding that this issue will be solved with negotiation and dialogue.
The BDP delegation also met the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Philip Gordon, the Turkish Embassy officials to the US, the Kurdistan Regional Government\'s representative in the U.S and other Kurdish political representatives in the US.
