A prominent Kurdish deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) slammed the regional powers on Wednesday for their opportunistic treatment of Kurds and accused the U.S. of taking advantage of the ethnic group as ground forces against DAESH, having neglected Kurdish grievances for many years.
Orhan Miroğlu, a member of the Turkish parliament from the predominantly-Kurdish Mardin province, who came to Washington to attend a panel hosted by the Turkish Institute for Progress and Cihannüma Association, said many countries that were not interested in Kurdish rights or sensitivities decided to back Kurds as a military force rather than an oppressed ethnic group whose demands were not satisfied.
He said, "I think Kurds should object to this treatment and refuse to serve the needs of great powers in the region who are re-designing their interests. That does not mean that we should not continue to defend our homes against DAESH."
Miroğlu was one of the six Turkish deputies who met U.S. Vice President Joe Biden when he visited Istanbul last month. The AK Party deputy also criticized Biden's meeting with hand-picked and like-minded journalists and members of nongovernmental organizations in Istanbul, calling it a one-sided approach that can only validate orientalist U.S. views.
Miroğlu was a victim of the Turkish military junta in 1980 and suffered a great deal of torture in notorious Diyarbakır Prison for his simple calls for recognition of Kurdish language and culture.
Miroğlu said the Turkey-based Kurdish armed group PKK, decided to end the cease-fire with Turkey in July following the success story it had had with its Syrian arm the People's Protection Units (YPG) in the north of the country.
While Ankara asserts that the YPG is affiliated with the PKK, a designated terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and NATO, Washington does not share Ankara's concern.
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