Council of Europe calls for de-escalation of violence in Turkey

STRASBOURG

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Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjørn Jagland has called for a de-escalation of violence in Turkey, amid rising attacks across the country. 

“The recent increase of violence in Turkey, which has resulted in the deaths of civilians, soldiers and police officers, is very worrying. I call on all in Turkey to refrain from violent actions and reactions. Nobody will gain from this escalation. It endangers the progress that has been achieved over recent years,” Jagland said on Aug. 10. 

“The peace process, which is essential to stability in the region, has to be resumed,” he added, referring to the Kurdish peace process. The process has come to a halt amid outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) attacks on Turkish security forces, the Turkish military’s airstrikes against PKK camps in northern Iraq, and anti-terror police operations across the country, in which more than 1,000 people have been detained.