Anti-PKK operations over, time for reconstruction: Turkish PM

“Now the operations are over, there will be physical and social renovation. We are replacing destroyed buildings with more beautiful ones. Work is underway,” Yıldırım said during his parliamentary address to ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers on July 21. 

Ankara also plans to take legal action against municipalities and mayors from the Kurdish problem-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) who are alleged to have transferred state resources to the PKK, he added. 

“As we have ended our operations, there are now some other steps we should take. It’s time to settle accounts with the municipalities supporting terrorism. You transfer the money allocated to you for public services to the terror organization. But we won’t allow this,” Yıldırım said. 

“As soon as possible, we’ll ask these local governors to pay the price for not using the state means given to them for the people,” he added.

The alleged financial and logistical support of HDP municipalities to the PKK was brought to the agenda of the cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 20. 

Prime Minister Yıldırım said the government would soon be introducing a bill to prevent this support from municipalities and mayors to the PKK, slamming local officials for having a “direct relationship with terrorists.” 

“You talk about democracy. You go from door to door abroad to complain about Turkey. Instead of doing this, you should go to the people to confess that you were wrong,” he said. 

Yıldırım also accused the HDP and PKK of “trying to prevent the government from serving the people of the region.” 

“Success lies not in hindering services to the people, but finding solutions to their problems. Success is removing obstacles in front of the people and not digging trenches for war,” he added.


Youth employment 

Following the end of operations, the government will take measures for economic and social development of the region by building factories to generate jobs in the region, Yıldırım said. 

“We’ll build factories [as the state] but they will be run by the private sector. We will purchase their products for a certain period of time. We will introduce a much better future to all our people, all our youngsters, by providing jobs. That’s how we’ll be able to save our region’s people and youngsters from the exploitation of the terror organization,” he vowed.