Balanced history, not extremism, is the way toward national healing. The PKK terrorism seeks to dismember Turkey. Since 1983, when Abdullan Ocalan, launched the PKK, the terror campaign has cost Turkey enormously in human lives and money. The Turkish Republic, unlike Canada, is a unitary state with a single national identity. National unity is a sacred objective that evolved from a long history of tolerance, which recognizes religious, regional and linguistic differences.
All Turkish citizens are equal and enjoy the same rights and duties under the constitution.
Kurds in Turkey are able to participate in politics and society and many prominent figures in Turkish public life are of Kurdish origin. In October 1998, Syria backed down under threat of war and expelled Ocalan who first escaped to Russia. Turkey immediately demanded his extradition. But Italy's constitution does not allow extradition to countries having the death penalty, although in the past Italy handed over suspected criminals to the USA, another country with death penalty. Germany is now declining Ocalan's extradition for domestic political reasons and Italy is toying with the idea of granting him political asylum, despite Turkey's objections.