Newroz in Diyarbakir (Amed) turned out to be yet another historical day with the participation of hundreds of thousands. It was the final celebration in this year’s Newroz calendar.

Pervin Buldan, co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) addressing the Newroz gathering, said: “Today this meeting is a confirmation that the people are still behind the consensus in 2013.”

As people chanted slogans for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Pervin Buldan, who was the person who had read out Öcalan’s historical message in the Newroz of 2013 in Diyarbakır, was applauded for minutes.

She called out to the people saying:

“Our dear people, dear mothers, dear youth. You are all welcome. Today is Newroz. Today is the day of fraternity, today is the day of unity. In every square where the Newroz fire is lit, all around Turkey for the last three days, believe me that all our friends who are kept in prison, Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, Gülten Kışanak, Selahattin Tuncel, Aysel Tuğluk, Selçuk Mızraklı, Ayşe Gökhan, Leyla Güven, Hülya Alökmen and all others; they are with us.”

She continued:

“Everybody should look at this meeting carefully, should read the messages carefully. Ankara should see this meeting, Ankara should see Amed. You have shown that they cannot finish us by rejecting, by ignoring, by appointing trustees in place of our elected people, by imprisoning us, by killing us. This century has passed with great suffering. We promise that in the next century history will not repeat itself.”

“Dear people of Amed; 9 years before, an text of consensus was read out in this square. This was the road map for a historical solution. It was a declaration written by Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı. 9 years have passed since this letter announcing that a common future would be built together was read out. What we have lived through in these nine years have shown how urgently we need the solution written in this letter. As HDP and as the Kurds, we are announcing once more that we are behind the letter read out in 2013 at the Amed Newroz. All of us have seen where a government afraid of a solution has brought this country, we are all witnessing it. The mind governing this country has imposed isolation rather than peace. That mind imposed isolation on democracy, imposed isolation on the fraternity of peoples, to our identity, to our language.”

“As HDP we are saying that we need a great peace. Great peace should become the reality not only in Turkey but everywhere in the world. We are announcing once more that we are ready to take any responsibility for great peace.”

“The greatest problem in this country is the Kurdish problem. It cannot be solved saying “There is no Kurdish problem. It cannot be solved saying ‘We have solved it’.”

“HDP is a key political party. We are a political party that knows how to take responsibility for the solution of all problems that remain unsolved. These problems cannot be solved through rejection, oppression, with violence or with prisons. The solution to the problem is to understand one another, to give each other strength; this will bring this country to peace.”

“We will bring this country to peace, we will bring this country democracy and justice. We will bring this country all kinds of freedoms. Together with you we will do this.” She concluded.