Turkish MP: Kurds should not lay down armsJanuary 10, 2012 - 17:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Kurds should not lay down their arms because weapons are the community’s “insurance policy,” Turkey’s Diyarbakır independent deputy Leyla Zana has said. “The armed conflict forced everyone to choose a side. I would never argue for the laying down of arms,” she was quoted as saying. “Weapons are the insurance policy for Kurds, and they will remain so as long as the [Kurdish issue] persists.” Commenting on rumors that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was preparing to issue a unilateral ceasefire, Zana said she did not believe any unilateral act would effect a solution. Zana said there was mutual mistrust between all sides in the conflict resulting from past experiences, especially due to events in 1980s. "Certain steps need to be taken to overcome this mistrust. I think the biggest step should be taken by the state because Kurds are being wronged and the state is the wrongdoer,” she said. “The laying down of arms by Kurds should not be discussed before Kurds are granted a status – a legal guarantee," Zana said, adding that she was in favor of stopping the guns from killing young people. “When dialogue begins in the future and we take a look back, we will feel sorry and hurt for the youth,” she said, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |