Murat Karayılan, a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Executive Committee, addressed the longstanding conflict between Turkey and Kurdish guerrillas in an exclusive interview with Stêrk TV on Friday.

Karayılan argued that Turkey has been engaged in a century-long effort to suppress the Kurdish population and stressed that violence alone cannot resolve the Kurdish conflict and that a peaceful solution should be pursued.

“The war we are waging against the Turkish state is a war of survival and it continues. It seems that it will continue exponentially in the coming years. The enemy persists despite the fact that they cannot get results or succeed,” Karayılan said, adding, “The Kurdish issue cannot be resolved by killing; we want to show this to the enemy.”

The PKK executive further underscored the importance of ending the violence and seeking a peaceful resolution in regards to the ongoing war in Gaza. He stated that bloodshed and violence do not offer solutions to societal issues and that the Middle East has grown weary of prolonged conflicts.

He referred to the philosophy of the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who advocated for peaceful dialogue and mutual acceptance among different cultures and faiths as a means to address the region’s challenges.

Karayılan characterised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a self-serving figure, asserting that he exploits Kurdish bloodshed to gain political advantage and stoke nationalism within Turkey. He claimed that Erdoğan plays both sides of the coin, supporting different parties and groups when it suits his interests.

According to Karayılan, Erdoğan claims to support Hamas and the Muslim population in Palestine as a means to garner votes in the upcoming local elections, set for 31 March 2024. The PKK commander suggested that the Turkish leader’s primary objective is to exploit the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel to secure victory in these elections.

“One does not believe in their sincerity at all. Neither our Arab people nor our Palestinian people should believe him. He is a trader. He plays both sides. When it suits him, he is with Israel, when it suits him, he is with Palestine,” Karayılan said.

This approach, according to Karayılan, is primarily guided by self-interest, lacking genuine sincerity, honesty, or a commitment to Islamic principles, and is instead focused on furthering his personal interests.