Turkey condemns Norway for allowing PKK terrorist propaganda in Oslo

Turkey's Foreign Ministry denounced Norway on Thursday for allowing the PKK terror group to disseminate propaganda in the capital Oslo.

It was allowed to hang a painting about women's rights as part of an event supported by the Oslo Municipality that served the propaganda of the PKK terrorist organization, the ministry said in a statement.

"It is 'worth noting' that the Oslo Municipality continues to support terror despite our diplomatic initiatives," it said.

Reminding that the terror group is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, the ministry stressed that women are among the most affected by the PKK's terror campaign while its crimes, including child abduction, have been revealed in human rights reports.

The cries during a sit-in protest against the terror group in Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey of mothers whose children were kidnapped by the terrorist organization are an example, it noted.

It noted that the YPG, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, is also one of the leading actors of the abuse of women.

The group of aggrieved families has been staging a sit-in protest against the PKK terrorist group for over a year. Hacire Akar, who claimed her son was kidnapped and brought to the mountains by the PKK and its Syrian wing the YPG, started a sit-in protest in front of the Diyarbakır headquarters of the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on Aug. 22, 2019. After she was reunited with her child on Aug. 24 as a result of her determined struggle, other mothers began to gain hope.

According to an Anadolu Agency (AA) report on Oct.14, 2020, PKK continues to enjoy a safe haven in Europe, even though it is officially recognized as a terrorist group in the European Union.

Stating that the rhetoric of the PKK is usually voiced as “the view of the Kurds” in the press of countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands and Sweden, the report says that nevertheless, newspapers and other news outlets in these countries almost never report on the protesting Kurdish mothers.

So far, the only European diplomat that has paid a visit to the Diyarbakır mothers has been the United Kingdom’s Ankara envoy Dominick John Chilcott.

Europe’s hypocrisy regarding the PKK terrorist group was also emphasized recently by Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu.

"Why would you (European countries) support PKK, YPG?" asked Çavuşoğlu on Oct.13, 2020 during a joint news conference with Swedish counterpart Ann Linde.

"This is yet more proof of Europe’s hypocritical stance toward terrorism," he added.

The top diplomat urged Sweden to pay heed to the oppression the minority groups in Syria underwent at the hands of the PKK. There are many Kurdish organizations besides the PKK, the minister pointed out.

The PKK continues using the European Union's territory for propaganda, recruitment, fundraising and logistical support activities, according to a report by the EU's law enforcement agency released this June.

Europol's annual terrorism report, titled "European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2020," suggested the PKK is actively engaged in propaganda activities as well as collecting money in European countries.

Turkey has long criticized European authorities for tolerating PKK activities in the country and has pressured them to take stricter measures against the propaganda, recruitment and fundraising activities of the group.

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women and children.