Turkish PM: Some European countries not doing enough in PKK fight

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused some European countries of turning a blind eye to the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused some European countries of not doing enough to help Turkey in its fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“Some European countries did not give necessary support to Turkey in its combat against terrorism for a long time,” said Erdogan at a meeting of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Istanbul, according to the state-run Anatolian Agency.

“Despite all the pain we have been through and bloody attacks on civilians and security forces, today, there are countries who have not cut financial support to the terrorist organization, who turned a blind eye to its activities and its propaganda, and who did not extradite any criminals to Turkey.” he continued.

Erdogan’s statement comes in the midst of escalating clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK. More than 40 Turkish soldiers have died in the last few months as the result of PKK attacks.

Both the United States and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Police in Istanbul Wednesday detained 27 people in connection with the previous day’s bombing of a military bus.

Four soldiers and the 17-year-old daughter of an officer were killed in the attack, which has been claimed by an offshoot of the PKK.

The bus was struck by a remote control bomb that had been planted by the roadside.

In his speech, Erdogan said that European security is connected to the security in cities in eastern Turkey, where many of the recent clashes have taken place.

“Security in Europe, particularly the Balkans, starts in Hakkari, in Semdinli. You should know that security of Balkan and European countries can not be restored before security is restored in Semdinli,” Erdogan said.

“Most of our European friends announced PKK as terrorist organization. That is good, but declaring PKK as terrorist organization does not put an end to the matter. How many terrorists have you extradited to us from those you have detained?” Erdogan added.

Haaretz