Turkish PM slams PKK supporters at EU summit

BRUSSELS

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said the pain of the Turkish people after the latest Ankara attack was ignored when PKK supporters were allowed to pitch tents in Brussels amid a EU-Turkey summit on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Friday, Davutoglu said: ''This terrorist organization [PKK] with the same flag was demonstrating in the streets of Brussels; how would you feel, assuming you are in the shoes of [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or myself?''

''There is no difference between Daesh and the PKK. Before coming here I visited hospitals; I saw wounded people,'' Davutoglu said.

The Belgian government allowed supporters of the terrorist organization PKK to pitch tents before the Turkey-EU summit on Thursday, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene.

Belgian police have reportedly taken security measures around tents displaying symbols of the PKK terrorist group. Belgian government ministers made no move to interfere with the tents, although last week they had pledged to cooperate in fighting terrorism.

When asked by the Anadolu Agency correspondent about the possible security risk of the tents’ presence during the summit, Belgian Interior Ministry officials had no comment.

During a visit by a Belgian delegation last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized Belgium for tolerating terrorist organizations such as the PKK or the terrorist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front's (DHKP-C), saying that they deserve to be treated just like Daesh, and that failing to do so shows a double standard.

In response, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said: "Legal pursuit and investigations are [being] conducted by federal prosecutors in a detailed way against the PKK and DHKP-C in Belgium."

“There will be four trials in a short while. Our way is slow, but Belgium is one of the active countries in (anti-) terror and terrorists' processes."

Belgium is one of the European countries where the PKK and DHKP-C are very active. Several PKK leaders live in Belgium, and there are also pro-PKK TV channels in the country.

The last anti-terror operation by Belgian security forces against the PKK took place in 2010. Apart from Belgium, the PKK is also active in many EU countries such as Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Greece.

Since the PKK – also listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign in late July, more than 290 members of the Turkish security forces have been martyred.

Though the PKK is on the EU’s official terrorist organization list, Turkey has complained of member states’ indifference to the group.