Europe should show zero tolerance on PKK acts: Ankara

ANKARA

Türkiye has called on prominent European nations not to show tolerance for the PKK’s activities and provocations on their soils following recent incidents in which PKK sympathizers carried out attacks targeting a Turkish diplomatic mission as well as Turkish communities.

“We expect the countries concerned to show zero tolerance for the actions of the terrorist organization’s supporters and to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible,” read a statement from the Foreign Ministry on March 27.

The statement came regarding the attack on the Turkish Consulate General in Hannover by supporters of the PKK terrorist organization on March 26. The PKK supporters attacked a Turkish civil society association in a French town and clashed with Turkish communities in Belgium in the past day.

The latest attack occurred in Hannover as the PKK supporters attacked the entrance of the Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Hannover. A dozen of PKK supporters tried to break the glasses of the consulate.

No one was killed or injured in the incident, the statement noted.

“Following the attack, German officials were contacted and reminded that they are responsible for the security of our citizens and diplomatic missions and that provocations against the Turkish community in Europe should not be tolerated,” it said.

The Turkish diplomatic sources informed that the Consulate General contacted German authorities in Hannover immediately after the incident. Likewise, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador to Ankara Jurgen Schulz over the incident. Türkiye has asked for more security for its people and diplomatic missions on German soil.

“The PKK terrorist organization, now cornered, is intensifying its actions against the Turkish community in Europe. It is thanks to the common sense of our citizens that these provocations have not led to more serious incidents,” the statement underlined.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, but many of its supporters continue their activities. The group can generate sources and use propaganda means against Türkiye. Ankara has long been urging the EU and individual European countries to take tangible restrictive measures on PKK members.