Turkey slams European Parliament over PKK event

ANKARA

Turkey condemned the European Parliament on Wednesday for holding an event attended by some of the ringleaders of the PKK terror group and its supporters.

Turkey strongly condemned the "unofficial event, which also ignores the principle of fighting terrorist organizations without discrimination," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In the scandalous event organized by the European Parliament, terrorist propaganda was spread by ringleaders of the PKK terror group and its supporters and heinous threats were made against Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the statement said.

Allowing some of the terrorist organization’s ringleaders -- who are also on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations -- to participate in an event in the European Parliament and spread terrorist propaganda means openly supporting terrorism, it added.

"We invite EU institutions and EU member states to stand firm against terrorist organizations and no longer take terrorists under its wing," it said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's presidential spokesman said early Thursday on Twitter that “it is an embarrassing scandal that a blind eye was turned to the open spreading of terrorist propaganda and Turkey and President Erdogan were insulted at a conference organized by the European Parliament.”

By "opening its doors to the PKK, which the European Union has recognized as a terrorist organization, the European Parliament openly supports terrorism and commits an offense," Kalin underlined.

"We strongly condemn this scandal. Those who ensure that blood-shedding terrorists hold talks under the roof of the European Parliament became part of the offence" he added.

The conference, titled "The European Union, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds," was held by the European Parliament in Brussels.

Some ringleaders of the terrorist organization in Europe -- Adem Uzun, Remzi Kartal and Zubeyir Aydar, who are in the red category of Turkey’s wanted terrorist list -- attended the conference.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.