We have been informed that the “Symbol Act”, previously adopted by the Austrian parliament, including the “Grey Wolves” sign, will enter into force on 1 March 2019 as the legislative process has been completed. We consider this unacceptable and reiterate our strong condemnation.

The fact that, despite all our warnings, the “Grey Wolves” sign which is a symbol of a legal political party in our country was included in the same list with the PKK, a bloody terror organization, is utterly scandalous. It is also a concerning indicator of the level of populism reached in Austria.

With this irrational and senseless decision, Austria has targeted not only the political party and its supporters who use this symbol, but also the institution of politics and the base of legal politics as a whole.

We expect Austria to abandon the dead end politics of populism and undo this mistake, which will negatively affect our bilateral relations. This is essential for the future of our relations as well as for common sense to prevail over bigotry.