Europe flirting with the PKK cannot prevent DAESH attacks
In Europe, even children have been obliged to learn about being alert of a possible terrorist attack at any moment as a requirement of the circumstances. EU citizens are maintaining their lives with constant anxiety on trains and metros and their stations and airports. Terrorism, which is one of the greatest threats to humanity, persists to threaten the daily lives of civilians.
EU citizens rightfully expect their politicians, governments and officials to conduct an effectual anti-terrorism fight. They fully support the option of launching operations on the headquarters of terrorist groups if necessary.
It is their right to expect an effective anti-terrorism initiative across Europe, whereas people in Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, İzmir and Diyarbakır also expect the eradication of terrorist activities, just like those in Copenhagen, Vienna and Rome. Their rightfulness goes without saying.
If Turkey did not engage in a bitter struggle against DAESH terrorism and DAESH militants were able to head to EU countries by freely passing through Turkey and organize violent attacks in Europe, people in Europe would respond to it, which would be totally right and conceivable. And if Turkey's Parliament speaker were to pose for cameras with journalists and politicians advocating terrorists shedding European blood, the European public would be stirred.
So I would like to ask: While Turkey maintains its determined fight against DAESH, which sheds both European and Turkish blood, and while people in Europe can breathe easier thanks to Turkey's struggle, what do the EU and EU countries do against the outlawed PKK, which turned Turkey into a bloodbath and murders innocent people in suicide bombings almost every week?
The EU and EU member states, unfortunately, do nothing against it.
Not contributing to the fight against the PKK, they also indirectly support the PKK by providing overt support to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian PKK affiliate.
Last week, European Parliament President Martin Schulz had separate meetings with some pro-PKK journalists and politicians and posed for cameras with them even though European Parliament is known as an outspoken proponent of human rights. Schulz was also determined to organize further meetings with them.
Is this what the European Parliament understands about defending human rights?
Has joining friendly meetings with pro-PKK figures not hurt Schulz's conscience since he must be aware that the PKK has murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people?
Formerly, he was known as a friendly figure for Turkey when he was the mayor of Würselen. I wonder whether his current motivation is to become notorious as an anti-Turkey figure. I hope I am wrong. He recently made it clear with his latest statements that he dislikes President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This is not a problem for us. Erdoğan already enjoys the support of millions and is known as the leader of the aggrieved around the world, so Schulz's antipathy does not mean or signify anything on its own. However, it is our right to expect him to act more sensibly concerning terrorism, which is currently the biggest threat against humanity.
I wonder whether his advisers properly inform him. For instance, do they not tell him that a journalist he is to meet with has published some items in a newspaper that is controlled by a political mafia aiming to seize the Turkish state and that favors terrorist attacks? Has anyone not told Schulz that the same newspaper disregarded journalism ethics and human dignity by printing full-page photos of dead bodies following a PKK attack?
Has anyone not told Schulz that the party co-chair he met with has never condemned any PKK attack so far and persistently defended the PKK on every occasion? Does he know that a sibling of this politician is a PKK militant? He claims to follow the path of Willy Brandt, an exemplary social democrat leader. But does meeting a politician speaking on behalf of the PKK comply with social democrat ethics? If he is doing this only to stand against Erdoğan, someone must remind him that he is in fact causing great harm to the EU, which he represents.
How effectively can one fight against DAESH while shaking hands with PKK proponents?
Are they not disregarding all the EU's values when they allow some members of European Parliament to hang little PKK flags in the corridors of the parliament building?
European Parliament remains a mere spectator when Kati Piri, the EU rapporteur for Turkey who has displayed an anti-Turkey behavior recently, and others hold meetings with PKK proponents since their activities are within the scope of the free works of European Parliament members. However, it is high time to stop those who attempt to turn European Parliament into a PKK propaganda tent.
I do not know if these members will show the photos of themselves arm in arm with the terrorism proponents, whom they hosted at parliament last week, to their electorate during the 2019 European Parliament elections. We should definitely distribute the photos in order to make sure that European voters are informed about the facts. People always pay the price for such irresponsible actions.
Neither DAESH terrorism in Europe nor PKK terrorism in Turkey can be stopped with such wrong policies.
I hope the EU and European Parliament can one day grasp that the counter-terrorism fight can never yield success unless one fights against all kinds of terrorist organizations.DAESH cannot be eradicated by flirting with the PKK.
EU citizens rightfully expect their politicians, governments and officials to conduct an effectual anti-terrorism fight. They fully support the option of launching operations on the headquarters of terrorist groups if necessary.
It is their right to expect an effective anti-terrorism initiative across Europe, whereas people in Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, İzmir and Diyarbakır also expect the eradication of terrorist activities, just like those in Copenhagen, Vienna and Rome. Their rightfulness goes without saying.
If Turkey did not engage in a bitter struggle against DAESH terrorism and DAESH militants were able to head to EU countries by freely passing through Turkey and organize violent attacks in Europe, people in Europe would respond to it, which would be totally right and conceivable. And if Turkey's Parliament speaker were to pose for cameras with journalists and politicians advocating terrorists shedding European blood, the European public would be stirred.
So I would like to ask: While Turkey maintains its determined fight against DAESH, which sheds both European and Turkish blood, and while people in Europe can breathe easier thanks to Turkey's struggle, what do the EU and EU countries do against the outlawed PKK, which turned Turkey into a bloodbath and murders innocent people in suicide bombings almost every week?
The EU and EU member states, unfortunately, do nothing against it.
Not contributing to the fight against the PKK, they also indirectly support the PKK by providing overt support to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian PKK affiliate.
Last week, European Parliament President Martin Schulz had separate meetings with some pro-PKK journalists and politicians and posed for cameras with them even though European Parliament is known as an outspoken proponent of human rights. Schulz was also determined to organize further meetings with them.
Is this what the European Parliament understands about defending human rights?
Has joining friendly meetings with pro-PKK figures not hurt Schulz's conscience since he must be aware that the PKK has murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people?
Formerly, he was known as a friendly figure for Turkey when he was the mayor of Würselen. I wonder whether his current motivation is to become notorious as an anti-Turkey figure. I hope I am wrong. He recently made it clear with his latest statements that he dislikes President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This is not a problem for us. Erdoğan already enjoys the support of millions and is known as the leader of the aggrieved around the world, so Schulz's antipathy does not mean or signify anything on its own. However, it is our right to expect him to act more sensibly concerning terrorism, which is currently the biggest threat against humanity.
I wonder whether his advisers properly inform him. For instance, do they not tell him that a journalist he is to meet with has published some items in a newspaper that is controlled by a political mafia aiming to seize the Turkish state and that favors terrorist attacks? Has anyone not told Schulz that the same newspaper disregarded journalism ethics and human dignity by printing full-page photos of dead bodies following a PKK attack?
Has anyone not told Schulz that the party co-chair he met with has never condemned any PKK attack so far and persistently defended the PKK on every occasion? Does he know that a sibling of this politician is a PKK militant? He claims to follow the path of Willy Brandt, an exemplary social democrat leader. But does meeting a politician speaking on behalf of the PKK comply with social democrat ethics? If he is doing this only to stand against Erdoğan, someone must remind him that he is in fact causing great harm to the EU, which he represents.
How effectively can one fight against DAESH while shaking hands with PKK proponents?
Are they not disregarding all the EU's values when they allow some members of European Parliament to hang little PKK flags in the corridors of the parliament building?
European Parliament remains a mere spectator when Kati Piri, the EU rapporteur for Turkey who has displayed an anti-Turkey behavior recently, and others hold meetings with PKK proponents since their activities are within the scope of the free works of European Parliament members. However, it is high time to stop those who attempt to turn European Parliament into a PKK propaganda tent.
I do not know if these members will show the photos of themselves arm in arm with the terrorism proponents, whom they hosted at parliament last week, to their electorate during the 2019 European Parliament elections. We should definitely distribute the photos in order to make sure that European voters are informed about the facts. People always pay the price for such irresponsible actions.
Neither DAESH terrorism in Europe nor PKK terrorism in Turkey can be stopped with such wrong policies.
I hope the EU and European Parliament can one day grasp that the counter-terrorism fight can never yield success unless one fights against all kinds of terrorist organizations.DAESH cannot be eradicated by flirting with the PKK.