Ayşe Yıldız
09 January 2022•Update: 10 January 2022
ANTALYA
Turkish foreign minister Sunday said Turkiye will help Kazakhstan establish peace and stability as soon as possible.
Speaking at a Justice and Development (AK) Party's consultation and evaluation meeting in Antalya, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkiye hoped Kazakhstan will soon restore peace in the country.
“For this, we will provide all kinds of support as Turkiye and the Organization of Turkic States,” he added.
The protests against an increase in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices have grown into massive riots across Kazakhstan over the past week.
At least 18 security personnel and 26 protesters lost their lives during the unrest, the country's Interior Ministry had said on Thursday.
Regarding the three Turkish soldiers killed by terrorists on Saturday, Cavusoglu said Turkiye will continue to “work day and night to neutralize all the elements that pose a threat to our country, regardless of where they are in Syria and Iraq.”
The soldiers were killed in the southeastern Sanliurfa province's border district of Akcakale by an improvised explosive device (IED).
Some 12 PKK/YPG terrorists were later neutralized by the Turkish forces in the area.
Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" in statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
* Writing by Beyza Binnur Donmez
