Report on the DPI comparative study visit to the United Kingdom that took place between 22-29th July 2011.
The goals of this trip were to bring together representatives from different political parties including the ruling party and those representing Kurdish and Turkish opposition interests, policy makers, opinion influencers, academics and journalists for roundtable/seminars to share comparative experiences.
Comparative study of post conflict societies, with experience of peace agreements and conflict resolution is a vital means of gaining information and sharing experiences. The process of devolution and constitutional arrangements are also highly relevant to the Turkish context.
It is hoped that in visiting London, Belfast, and Edinburgh and in meeting key players in the Northern Ireland peace process and UK devolution, strong sharing experiences can be drawn and comparisons made, with a view to opening up the possibility of broadening bases for peace and democratic advancement through dialogue and discussion. Issues addressed during the UK visit are detailed in this report.
Roundtables and structured discourse provided an opportunity to all parties to share knowledge, ideas, concerns and challenges in implementing a future solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey, and the study aimed to create an atmosphere whereby different parties could draw on comparative studies, analyse and compare various 15 mechanisms used to achieve positive results in similar cases across the United Kingdom.