NEWS CENTER - Stating that they will organize the 'Great Kurdistan Conference' on the centennial of Lausanne, KNK Co-Chair Ahmed Karamus said: "The Kurds have no choice but to be united."

 

7 years after the Sykes-Picot Agreement of May 16, 1916, which divided Kurdistan into four parts between France and England, on July 24, 1923, in Lausanne, Switzerland, by Turkey and Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Romania and Yugoslavia. The Treaty of Lausanne was signed. After the division of Kurdistan into four parts, the "Great Kurdistan Conference" will be held under the leadership of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) on July 24, the centennial of the Treaty of Lausanne, the beginning of the concept of annihilation and denial towards the Kurds. More than 500 people are expected to attend the conference, where 52 political parties, institutions, intellectuals, writers, artists and academics from all four parts of Kurdistan, as well as independent Kurdistani institutions from Ezidi, Christian, Yaresani and Alevi beliefs, were invited.

 

The final declaration of the conference, where the Roadmap of the struggle against the concept of annihilation and denial of the Kurds will be determined, will also be announced to the public. KNK Co-chairperson Ahmed Karamus evaluated the Treaty of Lausanne, which entered its centennial, the importance of the conference and the struggle of the Kurds against the concept of annihilation and denial in the new century.

 

THE PREPARING FOR A NEW PROCESS

 

Noting that they have completed the preparations for the conference, Ahmed Karamus said: The important preparations have been made in order to show the national attitude, unity and solidarity of the people of Kurdistan. We contacted 175 parties, non-governmental organizations and faith organizations within the scope of the conference. We listened to the opinions of these people and received their suggestions. This conference is a preparation for participation in the upcoming process. In addition, the results of previous meetings, panels and activities will be shared at this conference.

 

Noting that meetings were held with all segments of Kurdistan society and these meetings were positive, Karamus said: “All parties and organizations in the Federated Kurdistan Region, except the KDP, displayed a positive attitude. We would attend the conference. We did not meet with ENKS in Rojava Kurdistan, but we will send them an invitation to attend the conference. If there are requests for an interview, we will try to meet with them. We also had meetings with the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP-İ). We had meetings with political parties in Iran and they announced that they would attend the conference."

 

THE RESISTANCE AGAINST COLONIAL

 

Stating that the Treaty of Lausanne is an agreement that rejects the status of the Kurdish people, Karamus said: "The conference will also reveal the attitude of the Kurds towards this agreement. The Treaty of Lausanne was signed against the will of the Kurds. All Kurdistani organizations have taken a stand against it and promised to attend the conference. We see this attitude as meaningful and important. We will share this stance with the international community, the United Nations, the Council of the European Union, the United Arab States and all the countries of the world we can reach. The Kurdish people have not and will not accept this agreement since the first day. The Kurdish people showed their stance against the colonial status with their resistance. The Kurdish people want their existence, identity, cultural, artistic and national rights. They did not accept the representation of the Kurdish people and did not allow the people of Kurdistan to participate. But in the 21st century, the Kurdish people will never accept such a status, such an agreement. If a new agreement or a new solution is reached, this is only possible if the will, language and Kurdish national democratic rights of the Kurdish people are accepted. We will form a competent delegation in this field within the framework of the final declaration we will put forward at this conference, and this delegation will also carry out its work in the field of diplomacy. This delegation will represent the people of Kurdistan."

 

THE INJUSTICE AGAINST THE KURDS

 

Expressing that the Kurdish people no longer accept the colonial imposition, Karamus said: “The Kurds as a nation were divided into political, social and geographical parts. The British, French, Italian and many states that took part in this agreement were unfair to Kurdistan. The people of Kurdistan were deprived of their citizenship rights, their political and cultural rights were forcibly taken away. In our opinion, the states that signed the Treaty of Lausanne are as guilty as the states that took away the rights of the Kurdish people and occupied them. This is a crime against humanity, a crime against the legitimate rights of the people of Kurdistan; therefore, the states that signed this treaty are accomplices of this crime. Our demand is that the countries that have joined and accepted the Treaty of Lausanne should make up for the injustices they have done to the Kurdish people from now on.”