The Kurdish community joined global protests against the Turkish military’s latest incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan/Başûrê (Kurdish for “South Kurdistan”) with a rally on July 21 in the CBD.
Brusk Aeiveri, the Co-chair of the Federation of Democratic Kurdish Society – Australia, told Green Left that Turkey’s deployment of hundreds of tanks in northern Iraq raised the threat of a major occupation of the region.
In addition, more than 110 Turkish military bases have been established up to 35 kilometres inside Iraqi territory.
Aeiveri called on the Australian government to make the strongest protest to the Turkish Ambassador and to encourage the resumption of peace negotiations between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
"The Australian government should not export any arms to Turkey and it should advise its citizens not to go to Turkey for tourism, as the Turkish state uses it to buy weapons to kill other peoples.
“Kurdish leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, should be freed from his imprisonment in Imrali to facilitate peace talks,” Aeiveri said.