Turkey criticized some European countries for supporting terrorist groups, particularly the PKK and Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which Ankara considers as national security threats.
Speaking at a press conference with his counterpart from Luxembourg Jean Asselborn in Ankara, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey has played a pivotal role in the fight against Daesh, shouldering a great responsibility. "We have eliminated 3,000 Daesh terrorists only in Syria," Çavuşoğlu said.
He added that while Ankara's fight against Daesh is welcomed, its fight against PKK and its Syrian affiliate People's Protection Unit (YPG) were being frowned upon.
Çavuşoğlu underlined that the money given by the coalition returned as arms to the YPG. "If you love them so much take them all with you since you already harbor many," he said.
He pointed out that there has been some misinformation stemming from the campaigns of the PKK, YPG and FETÖ in Europe. He added that he suggested his counterpart to make an appointment with the Justice Ministry to gain information.
The meeting, Çavusoğlu said, discussed bilateral relations, the fight against terrorism, Turkey's EU accession process and Syria. Turkey has been fighting against various terrorist groups including the PKK, YPG and Daesh. In the face of increasing national security threats from the direction of Syria, Ankara has long stressed that it will not allow the presence of any terrorist groups along its borders.
Çavuşoğlu said that he informed Asselborn about FETÖ. He pointed out how it has been involved in activities in Europe and how its members have attempted to undermine Turkey's ties with Luxembourg. and therefore pointed out that their activities need to be prevented.
He stressed that while the European countries stand with countries such as France in the face of terror threats and support the measures taken by the country, Turkey does not receive the same level of support. Touching on relations with Luxembourg, Çavuşoğlu said there are not any political problems with the country.
At the press conference, Asselborn said it was his first visit to Turkey since the 2016 defeated coup. He stated that relations with Turkey are "friendly," and Luxembourg supports Turkey's EU bid.
Çavusoğlu added that the friendly ties were also reflected in economic relations, as Luxembourg has around $10 billion in investments in Turkey, and Turkish firms have invested $1.5 billion in Luxembourg. "The number of tourists coming to Turkey is also rising significantly," Çavusoğlu said.
During the meeting between the foreign ministers, Turkey's EU bid, the meetings of Reform Action Group (RAG) and the Judicial Reform Strategy were also evaluated.
The last RAG meeting, hosted by Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül, was held on Dec. 12 in Ankara, with the aim of evaluating the ongoing efforts to fulfill reforms and accelerate Turkey's EU process, particularly in judicial adjustments.