sPAT January 2016 Agenda: Ongoing clashes and its reflections on society

Events in the Southeastern Turkey…

Sur, Nusaybin, Cizre, Dargeçit, Silopi and other security zones… Deaths, complicated information, ditches and army troops…

For the first meeting of the new year, the General Agenda of sPAT: “Ongoing Clashes and Its Reflections on Society.”

When we look at the topics coming to the forefront in the general agenda of the first meeting of the new year, there is an issue which occupies more and more space each day in the agenda across Turkey, while its heaviness increases.

Events in the Southeastern Turkey…

Sur, Nusaybin, Cizre, Dargeçit, Silopi and other security zones… Deaths, complicated information, ditches and army troops…

The opposing parties make quite sharp evaluations on what is going on. Various news reflect onto the press, some differing 180 degrees in perspective from another.

When the situation is as such, even debating the matter calmly becomes very difficult.

“What will happen?” seems to be the most important question we will look for an answer for in the debates. Previously under different titles, we handled issues with similar sensitivities. The meetings we organized in December 2015 with the general agenda, “International Relations and Terrorism” gave us clues for the general agenda of this month as well.

For the first meeting of the new year, the General Agenda of sPAT: “Ongoing Clashes and Its Reflections on Society.”

Information on the meetings:

In case there is more than one person representing the same organization, only one of those representatives can take the floor at once. The time periods indicated below may be increased or decreased as long as all participants agree on the change and the flow of the meeting is not disrupted.

In our meetings, special guests speak about the general agenda for 10 minutes following the introduction video presented at the beginning of each meeting. After the special guests, the turn of speech is given first to Non-Governmental Organizations for 5 minutes each, then to Political representatives for 5 minutes each. Once the first round is completed, either the second round, or a question-answer session beings; according to the number of attendance and to the common preferences of the participants. In the Q/A session, political party representatives have 2 minutes to answer the questions asked by the civil society in 15 seconds. In this session, the special guests may be asked questions as well. The same format is applied for the local agenda as well, and the meeting concludes.