‘Pro-PKK exhibition’ at European Parliament angers Turkey

ANKARA

Turkey has strongly condemned the European Parliament, accusing it of allowing a photo exhibition organized by sympathizers of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Brussels, sparking fresh tension between Ankara and Brussels. 

“We condemn the opening of a photo exhibition that features the leader of the terrorist organization, the PKK, and its Syria offshoot, the PYD’s [Democratic Union Party] terrorists,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement late on July 12. 

The exhibition was opened on July 12 in Brussels by Josef Weidenholzer, an MP from the social democrat group of the European Parliament, and includes photographs taken by Thomas Schmidinger, Anadolu Agency reported. 

The Foreign Ministry accused the European Parliament of becoming a “tool for encouraging terrorism” by opening such an exhibition. 

“Both Daesh and the PKK are terrorist organizations. Preferring one terror organization to another one is disrespectful to all the victims of terrorism. Double standards are seriously harming the image of the European Union,” it stated, using an Arabic acronym to refere to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).    

Necessary diplomatic reactions are being expressed by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry and permanent representation in Brussels, it added. 

İbrahim Kalın, the spokesperson of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, also condemned the exhibition late on July 12. 

“Making propaganda of terror organizations that target Turkish nationals every day under the roof of the European Parliament is unacceptable,” Kalın said, advising those who permitted this exhibition to initiate similar exhibitions featuring other organizations like the Nusra Front, Hezbollah or the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.