ANKARA
Turkey's presidential spokesman on Friday urged Europe and the U.S. to see the PKK for what it is and condemn its terrorist activities.
In his weekly column in English-language newspaper Daily Sabah, Kalin wrote: “Instead of calling on Turkey to treat the PKK as if it is a benign civil society organization, Europe and the U.S. must see the PKK for what it is, condemn its terrorist attacks without ifs or buts, and stop its financial operations and propaganda in European cities.”
Kalin also called on “Turkey's friends and allies to stand by the country because Turkey's security is key to their security.”
"As Turkey reels from the bloody July 15 coup attempt, it is now faced with the three security threats of the PKK, Daesh, and the Gulenists [Fetullah] Terror Group (FETO)," he added.
The presidential aide stressed that supporting the PYD – the terrorist PKK’s Syrian affiliate – and the YPG militia in the name of fighting Daesh is a huge mistake. “The PKK is simply using the Syrian war as a smokescreen to continue its activities,” he argued.
He said Turkey has received little help in its fight against the PKK. “Instead of tightening their own security and sharing intelligence, some European countries have criticized Turkey for not catching Daesh terrorists or suspects who hail from Europe.”
“How is Turkey supposed to know about terrorists of European origin if the source countries do not fulfill their duties in the first place? Several Daesh terrorists carried out attacks in France and Belgium after they were deported from Turkey,” he added.
Kalin said Turkey has been fighting the PKK for several decades. “A primary goal of what came to be known as the reconciliation process was the disarmament of the PKK."
"Instead of disarming and despite calls from its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, though, the PKK stepped up its terrorist activities, recruited new members, and carried out violent attacks in urban centers,” he stressed.
He adds that the PKK kills both Turks and Kurds without discrimination. “The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) entered parliament [last year] with the promise of helping the reconciliation process. Instead, it became a mouthpiece for the PKK and never dared to even condemn its most heinous terrorist attacks."
"The HDP has not taken any serious initiative for the PKK's disarmament. Instead, it has chosen to seek ways to soften the criticism of the PKK and villify [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” he added.
The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015. Since then, more than 600 security personnel have been martyred and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists killed.
Syrian war
Kalin said that Bashar Assad’s regime continues to attack civilians, including women and children.
“Pictures of new atrocities emerge every day and the silence of the world reaches new heights of shame. The two monsters of the Syrian war, i.e., the Assad regime and Daesh, feed off each other,” he said.
“There is no solution to completely eliminate the Daesh menace without ending the war in Syria, and there is no end to the war without Assad out. Sharing a 711-kilometer border with Syria, Turkey carries the bigger burden. Of course, it is the Syrian people who suffer the most,” he added
“Turkey has done more than many other countries in the fight against Daesh. In addition to being part of the anti-Daesh coalition and opening its air bases to coalition jets, Turkey has arrested, deported, or denied entry to more than 50,000 Daesh members and/or people suspected of links to Daesh,” Kalin said.
“Turkey increased border security amid floods of refugees from Syria, and its border cities have become targets for Daesh rockets. Daesh has also launched attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, killing hundreds of innocent people,” he wrote.
Kalin said Daesh cannot be defeated without containing the larger context in which it operates.
“The civil war in Syria and the effect of failed states and weak governments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere provide ample ground for Daesh recruitment and propaganda. Despite these mounting challenges, Turkey will continue to fight against Daesh terrorism politically, ideologically and militarily,” he added.
FETO
Kalin said “the power capacity of Gulenists in Turkey has been largely dismantled [since the defeated July 15 coup], but there is more work to do. Seeing their demise in the country, Gulenists are now using their resources to run smear campaigns against Turkey abroad.”
“Turkey’s friends and allies in Europe, the U.S., Middle East, Africa, Asia and the rest of the world must be vigilant against these campaigns and pay attention to the dark side of the Gulenist cult,” he added.
“Just as Turkey supports the fight against Daesh terrorism, which is a global threat to us all, it is also legitimate for Turkey to expect its friends and allies to support it in its fight against the PKK and FETO.”
“The fight against terrorism cannot succeed without taking a clear and consistent stance against all of its forms. The rhetoric of my terrorist versus your terrorist only plays into the hands of terrorists. Security is a key asset for all and works only when it is available to everyone,” he concluded.
Turkey's government has said the defeated coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his FETO network.
Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.
