The participants of the Abant Platform, convened between 3rd and the 4th of December 2011 in Gaziantep in colloboration with Zirve University, and are now sharing the following declaration with the public:

1. It has been a year since the process called the Arab Spring has started. With this in mind, all parties have to understand the process rationally and cautiously while avoiding the initial emotional outlook that accompanied the process.

2. The process that we have been experiencing has shown once again that people can challenge their governments despite the risk of losing their lives. Thus, the countries that currently have not experienced any uprisings have to initiate political and economic reforms immediately.

3. Despite many positive developments that took place during the Arab Spring, there is still the risk of older authoritarian regimes to reemerge under different names. All actors that participated the Arab Spring have to realize the fact that the older authoritarian regimes would try to revive themselves. In addition to transforming the authoritarian regimes, the major goal here should be enabling institutionalization of democracies and strengthening civil societies, and in this context, removing the institutional remnants of the older regimes.

4. Despite the urgency of the political and social events that emerged with the Arab Spring, dialogue opportunities both at the national and international levels should not be exhausted. Relations between countries should not be ceased completely at any level.

5. Each country and society in the Middle East is unique. Thus, applying a specific model to a particular country would not be practical. Each society should develop its own model based on its own characteristics and needs while benefitting from the experiences of other countries.

6. The Middle East is a multicultural place. This space is the home of Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Turks, Arabs, Persians, Armenians, Kurds and several other groups. Any political attempt should not contradict with this overarching reality of the Middle East. Thus, it is a necessity for groups that claim power in the region to recognize different religious and ethnic groups as first class citizens.

7. The Arab Spring is an issue of all Muslims as well as Arab politics. Thus, institutions like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation should intervene into the process more actively.

8. The Arab Spring made everyone realize that each and every Middle Eastern society needs a more participatory and democratic constitution based on human rights and the rule of law. Thus, the first priority in the agendas of all political groups that is going to take the political initiatives should be the creation of a more participatory and democratic constitution based on human rights and the rule of law.

9. All international actors should realize the fact that all democratically elected governments are legitimate and elected representatives of their peoples.

10. Having this meeting in Turkey, political actors and intellectuals of Turkey should perceive the Arab Spring as an opportunity to realize both their own and Turkey’s shorcomings as well as their contribution to the process.