QA-56, 25 June 2020, Statement of the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hami Aksoy, in Response to a Question Regarding the “Country Reports on Terrorism 2019” of the U.S. State Department

In the “Country Reports on Terrorism 2019” of the U.S. State Department, Turkey’s fight against DEASH and her efforts with respect to the prevention of the movements of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) are reflected and the continuation of PKK’s terrorist attacks towards internal and external interests of our country is emphasized. In fact, Turkey is the only country whose security forces engaged in hand-to-hand combat against DEASH. Besides, Turkey provides crucial contributions to the security of the international community by fulfilling her duties with regards to the prevention of FTF movements. On the other hand, while conducting cross-border operations in the fight against terrorist organizations, Turkey takes utmost precautions in order to prevent civil casualties.

The report attempts to conceal the fact that YPG is the same terrorist organization as PKK, by indicating that our country views YPG as the Syrian arm of PKK. This approach amounts to the abstention of explicitly emphasizing the terrorist identity of the YPG, and moreover confirms the cooperation between the USA and this terrorist organization. On the other hand, the statements of US officials, military officers and institutions indicating that YPG and PKK are the same organizations are publicly accessible. The USA needs to realize that cooperating with a terrorist organization while countering another is not right.

In this report, it is noticable that the terrorist nature of FETÖ is being questioned and legitimate measures we have taken in our fight against FETÖ are criticized as it is used to be as in previous years. This situation is a proof of the continuation of US’s negligent attitude regarding the heinous coup attempt of 15th July. The myriad of evidence presented in relation to this treacherous terrorist organization is overlooked once again. This attitude demonstrates that there is a reluctance to comprehend our fight against FETÖ, which was behind the heinous coup attempt of 15 July that martyred 251 innocent citizens. The measures mentioned in the report are those taken legally by our country against FETÖ.