Muhammed Ali Toruntay
February 18, 2021•Update: February 18, 2021
ANKARA
Turkey expects complete support from its allies in its fight against terrorism, a ruling party official said on Thursday.
"We reacted to two statements of the US," Omer Celik, spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party, told reporters in the capital Ankara during a meeting of the party's Central Executive Board.
"As our ally, we expect [US] to respect Turkish democracy, and we do not find it right to make statements as if it gives instructions or directions to Turkish judicial institutions," Celik said.
"We expect absolute respect for Turkish democracy. We expect absolute respect for Turkey's judiciary," he added.
Celik's remarks came after the recent killing of 13 Turkish nationals by PKK terrorists in northern Iraq.
On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly criticized the US over its failure to support Ankara, its NATO ally in the face of the killings.
His remarks came shortly after the US State Department issued a much-criticized conditional condemnation of the massacre, saying in part: "If reports of the death of Turkish civilians at the hands of the PKK, a designated terrorist organization, are confirmed, we condemn this action in the strongest possible terms." The US ambassador to Turkey was later summoned by Turkey to register its displeasure.
Noting that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is an "experienced diplomat" who knows the Middle East very well, Celik said: "[He] knows very well Turkey's role, power and the importance in NATO."
Celik also said the fact that such a statement was made during Blinken's term should be "seriously questioned."
Noting that such an "'if' sentence" equates a legitimate and sovereign NATO ally with the PKK terrorist organization, Celik said that the US State Department should notice that it’s a "very grave, false and reprehensible statement."
On Sunday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar revealed that the bodies of 13 Turkish citizens were found during a counter-terrorism operation in northern Iraq.
Turkish forces started the operation on Feb. 10 to prevent the PKK and other terror groups from re-establishing positions used to carry out cross-border terror attacks on Turkey.
Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were launched last June to ensure the safety of Turkey's people and borders.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
