Social projects for terror victims discussed at security summit

ANKARA

CİHAN photo

A security summit helmed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was held Dec. 31 in the Turkish capital Ankara with the participation of senior military and government officials. 

The five-hour meeting focused on the struggle against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), particularly the ongoing clashes in southeastern Diyarbakır’s Sur district, according to officials.  In a press release after the meeting, the Prime Ministry said it had reviewed measures regarding health, education, infrastructure and transportation in areas where anti-PKK operations have been ongoing.

The Prime Ministry also reiterated its determination to continue its fight against terror to ensure people’s welfare and safety.

During the security meeting, the participants also evaluated developments in Syria and Iraq, the statement added.

Other than the routine participants of security summits, the family and social policies minister, the environment and urbanization minister and the customs and trade minister also attended the meeting for discussions on social projects and rehabilitation of the region in the post-clashes era. 

Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, Deputy Prime Ministers Numan Kurtulmuş, Yalçın Akdoğan, and Tuğrul Türkeş, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Interior Minister Efkan Ala, Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz, Gendarmerie Commander Galip Mendi and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan were among the participants.  

The fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), measures taken against possible terror attacks, particularly for the beginning of the new year, and developments regarding Syrian Kurds’ movements in northern Syria and Bashiqa military camp in northern Iraq were also among the discussion points. The historical district of Sur has now been subject to a curfew for the past month amid continuing clashes between Turkish security forces and the PKK.