Bilgic made the remarks at a press conference in capital Ankara on Friday in response to a question about U.S. President Barack Obama's Wednesday remarks that the focus should remain on Daesh.
Noting that Obama admitted that "to the extent the PKK engages in attacks against Turkish targets, it is legitimate for Turks to try to defend themselves,” Bilgic underlined Turkey's determination to fight against all forms of terror.
"Both the U.S. and Turkey list the PKK as a terrorist organization. It is not right to distinguish among terrorist groups. Many leaders, including UN Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon], have said that Turkey's operations against the PKK in particular are an exercise of the right to self-defense," he said, adding that Turkey is determined to continue fighting against all forms of terror, and "it does not need to get permission from anybody while doing this".
- As far as Russia's new plan for Syria is concerned, Bilgic said Turkey is already an active member of the international coalition against Daesh, and "there is no other method or plan on our agenda to fight against it".
- Russia recently proposed a new plan to fight the militant group, which includes forming a new international coalition of Syrian regime forces and opposition groups, including Kurds and neighboring countries.
The rationale behind the plan, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is the inefficiency of anti-Daesh airstrikes. He also claimed possible airstrikes against the regime launched to protect opposition groups would undermine the fight against Daesh.
Bilgic said in addition to the U.S., other members of the current international coalition could also use Turkish military bases to launch airstrikes against Daesh, "when deemed necessary, and with the joint agreement of Turkey and the U.S.".
Turkey recently opened the southern Incirlik Air Base for expanded operations against the militant group, with the first American drone striking Daesh targets in Syria on Wednesday.
www.aa.com.tr
7/8/15
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Obama tells Turkey to stay focused on ISIL threat...
ReplyDeleteUS President Barack Obama, in his first comments on a Turkish military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist group, has warned Ankara that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is the main security threat and that efforts should remain focused on that group.
Turkey began what it called a two-pronged war against the PKK and ISIL in late July, but the focus of military strikes quickly shifted to PKK targets inside Turkey and in northern Iraq, raising suspicions that the Turkish government is using the campaign against ISIL as an excuse to target Kurds.
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 2002 in a parliamentary election held on June 7. The AK Party's defeat was largely thanks to the strong showing of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), fueling suspicions that the party and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are hoping that the renewed violence will undermine support for the HDP in a possible snap election this autumn.
Asked by a Huffington Post correspondent if he was concerned that Erdoğan would use the military campaign against ISIL as an excuse to target the PKK, Obama said: “Well, we've discussed with the Turks our strong view that ISIL poses the largest threat to the region and we have to stay focused, [and our view is] that to the extent the PKK engages in attacks against Turkish targets, it is legitimate for the Turks to try to defend themselves. But the agreement that we are working on is carefully bound around: How do we close off that border to foreign fighters entering into Syria? And everything we do will be based on that issue.”............http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_obama-tells-turkey-to-stay-focused-on-isil-threat_395869.html
7/8/15