Germany admits failures in fight against PKK

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has admitted Germany's failures in combatting propaganda activities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in his country on June 30, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

“I think Turkey is right when it warns us and says we should not allow the PKK to carry out propaganda activities in public,” Gabriel told reporters in a news conference at the Foreign Ministry.
 
“I also think that it is unacceptable to ban public appearances of Turkish politicians, but at the same time [we] allow posters of Mr. Öcalan,” he said, referring to rallies of PKK followers in Germany, in which they use flags of the group and its leader, Abdullah Öcalan. 

He also said on PKK was not only a threat for Turkey, but also Germany. 

“The PKK was banned in our country in the early 90s, not only for what it did in Turkey, but also due to its involvement in extortion, drug trafficking, arms trade in our country; [and] due to the threat for citizens who came from Turkey to Germany,” he said.