Washington Post makes terrorist propaganda: FM Çavuşoğlu

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

Turkey's top diplomat lambasted on July 4 the U.S.-based Washington Post newspaper for publishing an article by Cemil Bayık, one of the leaders of the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU. 

The article did not fall under the freedom of press and expression, and it is “terrorist propaganda,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in a live interview on TRT Haber news channel.     

“A head terrorist of the PKK- listed as a terrorist organization by many countries, including the U.S., and which has brutally massacred tens of thousands of innocent people- has brazenly engaged in terrorist propaganda by using The Washington Post,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry also said in a statement.

This publication has violated the principle of “preventing the promotion of terrorism”, which is the most important commitment of the international community in the fight against terrorism, the statement said.     

The statement also stressed that there should be no discrimination between terrorist organizations in the fight against terror.     

It stated that “this approach is a tool for the PKK's terrorist propaganda and is incompatible with the sensitivity displayed towards ISIL, al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.”

“This approach is a new and serious example of hypocrisy in the fight against terrorism,” the statement added.     

The Washington Post provided space for a terrorist who is a member of a group listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, openly produces terrorist propaganda and violates U.S. laws, Turkish presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın said in a written statement.     

Stating that this article did not fall under the category of freedom of press and expression, Kalın said the daily's actions were tantamount to publishing an article from a member of al-Qaeda or ISIL.

To portray one of the leaders of a terrorist organization as the representative of the Kurds is, above all, an insult to the Kurds, Kalın said.

Turkey's Ambassador in Washington, Serdar Kılıç, said on Twitter that the Post "took the profession of journalism to new lows" by giving a platform to one of the PKK's "bloodthirsty" leaders.       

“This is an affront not only to the Turkish people but also to the memories of tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children who became victims of terror at the hands of the PKK,” he stressed.     

“It should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that providing support to even nonviolent activity of a terrorist organization violates the anti-terror laws of the U.S.,” Kılıç added.     

Idlib issue

On the regime attacks in Idlib, northwestern Syria, Çavuşoğlu said Russia must keep the Bashar al-Assad regime under control over attacks in the region, mostly targeting the civilians, hospitals and schools.         

He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the current situation in Idlib at last week's G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.     

Stressing that radical groups were present in Idlib, Cavuşoğlu said: "We have been discussing the future of them [radical groups] with Russia, Iran or other actors."     

He added that Geir Pedersen, the U.N.'s special envoy for Syria, would visit Damascus in the coming days on the issue of establishing constitutional committee.     

Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be expressly prohibited.         

The regime, however, has consistently broken the terms of the ceasefire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.