DEM Party's Sancar: Framework Law Must Be Passed Before the Parliamentary Term Ends

At a comprehensive peace conference organized in Diyarbakır in collaboration with the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Social Peace and Freedom Forum, Turkey's internal dynamics and regional processes were discussed. The event, titled "The Social Peace Process in Turkey and World Examples", which was attended by DEM Party İmralı Delegation Member and Şanlıurfa Deputy Mithat Sancar, featured critical evaluations regarding the process. Sancar touched upon the naming debates between the government and the opposition, emphasizing that how the process is named directly affects the nature of the matter. Reminding that the DEM Party calls this process the "Peace and democratic society process", Sancar stated that the government's concept of a "Terror-free Turkey" could create anxiety in society.

Stating that the current peace process has a fundamental difference from other examples in the world, Deputy Sancar noted that this difference is that the phase of laying down arms has been placed at the very beginning of the process. Recalling that in previous processes, steps towards resolving the issue were taken first, followed by the laying down of arms, Sancar added that the 27 February call aimed to open the way for a solution by directly ending the conflict. However, he acknowledged that this situation also brings forth just and strong questions in people's minds, such as "How will the root causes that create the conflict be resolved after the arms are laid down?". He stated that how democratic politics and the law will step in to resolve these deep-rooted issues after the ending of violence constitutes the most critical political crossroads of the process.

Drawing attention to the fact that democratic and free politics, rather than violence, should be the basis in the struggle to achieve political goals, Sancar stated that it is essential to support this shift in orientation with legal frameworks. Sancar noted that it would be illogical to expect those who lay down their arms to shelve their political programs, and that their integration into democratic politics must be legally guaranteed. He stated that the new framework law planned to be introduced must primarily ensure a genuinely inclusive and comprehensive disarmament, and that an incomplete or partial regulation would harm the process. He requested that this law should also contain integration mechanisms that would allow former combatants to adapt to political, social, and economic life.

Making important warnings about the slow pace of politics and potential delays in the process, Sancar emphasized that squandering this peace opportunity would be a historical burden. Pointing to the risk that current peace conditions might not be permanent in an environment where rapidly changing geopolitical balances and regional alliances in the Middle East could undergo transformation at any moment, he stated that it is of vital importance for the framework law to pass from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey before the current legislative term ends. Otherwise, he warned that if the process is left incomplete, all peoples in the region, especially the Kurds and the Turks, would lose a great historical opportunity.

Sancar stated that instead of complex formulas, feasible, practical steps that align with the fundamental logic of the process must be taken; otherwise, the political march could come to a halt. Noting that the concept of the peace triangle also forms the basis of permanent peace law, he added that it is essential to build the legal infrastructure solidly. He stated that the waves of insecurity and doubt experienced in different segments of society can only be overcome with transparent, courageous, and decisive steps, and that it is essential to carry out the process not only on a security-oriented axis but on a democratic and humanitarian one. He summarized that all these steps are civil steps that must be taken not merely for the dismantling of an armed group, but for the democratization of Turkey and the establishment of permanent social peace.