Erdoğan slams West over lack of anti-terror cooperation

ANKARA

The Western world is ignoring terrorist threats and failing to cooperate against terrorist organizations, namely the PKK and FETÖ, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, criticizing indirectly the United States and some European countries for harboring the heads of terror organizations, including Fethullah Gülen who is residing in the U.S.

“We observe this [carelessness] in the fight against terrorism. Those who close their borders to migrants from Syria, Iraq and Africa are becoming very tolerant when it comes to the PKK and FETÖ terrorists. The coup plotters that killed 250 people on the night of July 15 [2016] are freely living in many European countries,” Erdoğan said in his address to an international conference, dubbed the Inaugural Congress of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World, in Istanbul on Dec. 22.

Türkiye narrowly escaped a coup in 2016 by the FETÖ, which infiltrated into the army and other security institutions over the years. Gülen who is residing in the U.S. since 1999 is the leader of the FETÖ and mastermind of the coup attempt.

Erdoğan recalled that Türkiye demanded the extradition of Gülen from the U.S. but no positive response was given so far. “Despite loads of documents we have submitted, nobody from the security forces of the country he is residing has ever knocked on the gates of his mansion,” he said, referring to the U.S.

Gülen is living in a massive compound in Pennsylvania under security. He is accompanied by dozens of his followers.

Separatists founded by Western states

The PKK and its Syrian-leg YPG are committing terror attacks against Türkiye, Syria and Iraq through the money they collect in the Western countries, Erdoğan said. “We also know there are countries who are inserting special funds in their budget to be given to the terror organization,” the president said, referring to the U.S. annual financial assistance to the YPG under the disguise of Syrian Democratic Forces who is partnering with the U.S. in the fight against the ISIL in northern Syria.

Many PKK and FETÖ terrorists are enjoying freedom in Western countries as political refugees, Erdoğan stressed. “Despite all our extradition requests for many fugitive coup plotters, the Western countries have never taken a legal step.”

Ankara has recently asked for the extradition of Bülent Keneş, a leading FETÖ member, from Sweden as part of the Nordic state’s bid to join NATO. The Swedish court rejected the extradition.

“We are running our struggle [against terror] in determination and within the boundaries of legality and legitimacy without paying attention to what they are saying. We will continue our efforts until we let Türkiye climb to the highest ranks in the global league of security, freedom and justice,” he stated.

West indifferent to Greece’s human rights abuses

Erdoğan also reacted to Greece’s inhuman stance against the migrants. “The attitude of our Western neighbor Greece towards the migrants has now reached the level of brutality,” the president said, accusing Athens of committing atrocities on the daily basis by sinking refugee boats, pushing back them and torturing the migrants.

“And the Western countries are not showing any meaningful reaction to the brutality of Greece. We have not seen any effort until now to stop these atrocities and protect the immigrants, including children and women,” he stated.