Thanksto the cool and level headed approach of the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan government and the contributions of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, the peace process has now gone well beyond the one year period, and there is growing hope that this time peace is here to stay in eastern and southeastern Turkey.
It is clear that behind the scenes National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan has done a good job, and several of Turkey's Kurdish politicians have shuttled between Öcalan's prison island of İmralı and the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq to the PKK hideouts where their commanders are stationed to ease the tensions and keep the militant organization at bay.
After a year the pre-dominantly Kurdish people of southeastern Turkey have seen that peace can be durable and its dividends immense; thus, they now seem clearly the greatest supporters of the peace process.
It is understandable that the PKK is frustrated. Inaction and lack of tensions is taking its toll with the militants and thus they are restless.
Hence, we have the latest incidents where PKK militants are raiding and burning work sites, setting up roadblocks on some major highways with the pretext of protesting the continued construction of military stations in the region against terrorist attacks. The PKK continues to recruit young people or even abduct them to bolster its ranks, thus triggering protests from the Kurdish mothers who want their children back.
The government has kept its cool and has displayed goodwill and even high tolerance to the provocative actions of the PKK at the cost of drawing strong opposition criticism.
All in all the government has done a good job until now. Yet, we have reached that critical phase when some action is needed. The Kurds of Turkey have understood the value of peace and that Erdoğan is the man who can deliver durable peace. But the time has come to start satisfying Kurdish public opinion that has turned in favor of the prime minister. Measures have to be taken to show that the Kurds of Turkey will benefit from all opportunities equally like any other citizen. They will be the first class citizens of this country and that means more democratic reforms.
Let no one make any mistake that a serious percentage of the Kurds of southeastern Turkey still look up to Öcalan as their leader and that they still feel the PKK has a place in their hearts.
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