The European Union, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds

 

Brussels, The European Parliament Wednesday 5th of February – 14:30 – 18:30 Thursday 6th of February – 09:30 – 17:00

WATCH THE EVENT LIVE

• 5th February
• 6th February

PATRONS

ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS DESMOND TUTU

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, South Africa

 

SHIRIN EBADI

Human Rights Lawyer

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran

 

BIANCA JAGGER

The Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador

Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, the UK

 

NOAM CHOMSKY

Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy,

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the USA

 

LEYLA ZANA

European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought,

Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey

 

Wednesday 5^th of February, 13:00 – 14:00

 

Thursday 6^th of February, 08:00 – 09:00

 

Wednesday, 5th of February 2020, 14:30-15:30 The Opening Session, Room ASP 1G2 (Spinelli Building) Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek

 

The Opening Speeches and Greetings

• Ms. Kariane Westrheim, Chair of the EUTCC, University of Bergen, Norway

• Mr. Nikolaj Villumsen, MEP, The European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), Denmark

• Mr. Andreas Schieder, MEP, The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Austria

• Mr. François Alfonsi, MEP, The Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA), France

• Mr. Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Vice-President of The European Parliament, Greece

 

Wednesday, 05th of February 2020, 15:30-17:00 Panel I – Room ASP 1G2, Altiero Spinelli Building (ASP) Oppression and Resistance in Turkey Moderator: Mr. Joost Jongreden, University of Wageningen, EUTCC board member, The Netherlands Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek

 

Mr. Benoit Biteau, MEP, The Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA), France

The Centre of Power and The Opposition in Turkey

• Mr. Yildirim Kaya, MP, The Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey - tbc

Opposition Between Unity and Division

• Mr. Cihangir Islam, MP, The Felicity Party (SP), Turkey

Turkey 2023: Dictatorship vs. Democracy

• Ms. Gülistan Koçyiğit, MP, The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Turkey

Questions and Discussion with the Audience

 

Wednesday, 05th of February 2020, 17:00-18:30 Panel II – Room ASP 1G2, Altiero Spinelli Building (ASP) The EU - Turkey Relationship: Accession Talks, Refugee Crisis and The Kurds Moderator: Mr. Cengiz Aktar, Political Scientist Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek

 

The Refugee Crisis and Europe’s Response

• Ms. Tineke Strik, MEP, The Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA), The Netherlands

Accession talks - (Never) Ending Story?!

• Mr. Udo Bullmann, MEP, The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Germany - tbc

The Kurdish Question and Europe: Criminalization vs. Responsibility for Peace Building

• Mr. Jan Fermon, Lawyer, Belgium

Key Point Imrali: The Power of Freedom

• Ms. Newroz Uysal, Lawyer, The Asrın Law Office, Turkey

 

 

 

Thursday, 06th of February 2020, 09:30-10:30 Panel III – Room ASP 1G2, Altiero Spinelli Building (ASP) The Middle East in The Context of Turkey’s Invasion of North-East Syria / Rojava Moderator: Ms. Evin Incir, MEP, The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Sweden Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek

 

Turkish Invasion of North-East Syria / Rojava

• Ms. Leila Chaibi, MEP, The European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), France

On the Trials of Ottoman Empire: Turkey´s Striving for Great Power

• Mr. Gamal Soltan, The Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, Egyp

The Kurds: The Gordian Knot or The Central Key

• Mr. Søren Søndergaard, MP, Enhedslisten - The Red-Green Alliance, Denmark

Turkey’s Constitutional Genocide of the Kurds and Other Non-Turkish Ethnicities

• Mr. Kirmanc Gundi, Tennessee State University, The USA

Post-ISIS: Lines of Conflict with Ethnic and Denominational Impacts

• Mr. Ferda Çetin, Journalist, Belgium

 

Questions and Discussion with the Audience

 

Thursday, 06th of February 2020, 11:00-12:00 Panel IV – Room ASP 1G2, Altiero Spinelli Building (ASP) The Turkish Invasion of Rojava and its Impact on Women and Gender Equality Moderator: Ms. Maria Eugenía Rodríguez Palop, MEP, The European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), Spain Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek

 

Interview with Representatives of the Democratic Federation of North-East Syria / Rojava

• Ms. Siham Kirio, Co-Chair of the Legislative Council of the Self-Administration of North-East Syria
• Ms. Perwin Yusuf, Co-Chair of the Council of the Qamişlo Canton  
• Ms. Cihan Hidro, The Executive Committee of Women of the Self-Administration of North-East Syria. 

 

Thursday, 06th of February 2020, 12:00-13:00 Panel V – Room ASP 1G2, Altiero Spinelli Building (ASP) Europe and the Middle East: Self-Interest vs. Democracy Moderator: Mr. Jürgen Klute, Former MEP, Germany Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek

 

European Perspectives on The Complexity of The Middle East

• Mr. Brando Benifei, MEP, The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Italy

Europe and The Kurdish Battle

• Mr. Thomas Schmidinger, Political Scientist, University of Vienna, Austria

Transformation Process from The Kurdish Perspective in The Context of Democracy, Ecology and Gender Equality

• Ms. Dersim Dağdeviren, KURD-AKAD, EUTCC Board Member, Germany

 

Questions and Discussion with the Audience

 

Thursday, 06th of February, 15:00-16:00 Panel VI – Room ASP 1E2, Altiero Spinelli Building (ASP) There Are Alternatives! Moderator: Mr. Wladimir van Wilgenburg, Journalist, The Netherlands Interpretation in Kurdish, Turkish, French and English

 

Democracy in War Time: How a Society Reorganises Itself and Offers Perspectives Beyond the Middle East

• Ms. Nazan Üstündağ, Sociologist, Germany

The Rise of Kurdish Women and Their Battle Against Feminicide

• Ms. Aviva Stein, The New World Summit, The Netherlands

Rethinking Democracy: Kurdish Perspectives For 2023

• Mr. Amed Dicle, Journalist, Belgium

Local Solutions to Global Challenges - Living International Solidarity

• Mr. Juan Carlos Guerra Moldonado, Historian, Equador

 

Questions and Discussion with the Audience

 

Thursday, 06th of February 2020, 16:15-17:00 The Closing Session – Room ASP 1E2, Altiero Spinelli Building (ASP) Conclusions, Recommendations and The Final Resolution Board of The EUTCC Ms. Dersim Dağdeviren, Germany Mr. Michael Gunter, US Mr. Joost Jongerden, Netherlands Mr. Thomas J. Miley, UK Ms. Estella Schmid, UK Ms. Kariane Westrheim, Norway