Turkish, Estonian FMs discuss arrests of HDP lawmakers

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Estonian counterpart Jurgen Ligi spoke over the phone Saturday.

According to a diplomatic source, the arrests of 12 lawmakers from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey for failing to answer public prosecutors’ summons linked to an ongoing counter-terrorism probe came under discussion.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said Cavusoglu told Ligi the arrests were in line with Turkey’s laws.

Cavusoglu highlighted that all citizens are equal under the law and nobody was above the Turkish law.

He also said Turkey was uncomfortable with PKK and its affiliations getting support in European countries.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year.

Since then, PKK terrorist attacks martyred more than 700 security personnel and also claimed the lives of many civilians, including women and children, while nearly 8,000 PKK terrorists were killed in army operations.