Filenews 17 December 2022
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu demanded that Belgium take action against the Kurds and the PKK on the occasion of a Kurdish demonstration at the Turkish embassy in Brussels, leading to an incident with his Belgian counterpart during a joint press conference in Ankara.
"We want you to take action against the terrorist organization PKK, which in your country has a strong presence and activity as in Europe. Only yesterday outside our embassy (in your country) there were demonstrations with the PKK flags and the photos of the chief terrorist Öcalan," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said provocatively.
He even attacked the Belgian government, accusing it of not being honest in the fight against terrorism, and added:
"Just as there can be no demonstrations in support of the Islamic State, so should there be demonstrations in Belgium for the PKK. Laws should not be applied in a different way. If we are honest about the fight against terrorism."
Belgium's response
The provocation of the Turkish Foreign Minister was not left unanswered by the Belgian Foreign Minister Haja Labib, who immediately and in a stern tone addressed Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, telling him that the Kurdish demonstrations took place in the context of freedom of expression and demonstration. In fact, the Belgian Foreign Minister asked Tsavousoglou to state if he knows anything more.
"For the demonstrations, if you have more information, tell us, but let me make it clear that the demonstrations took place within the framework of freedom of expression and freedom of demonstration," Ms. Labib said.
I was surprised by the warning you made
Regarding the statements of Belgian Minister Labib regarding the elections to be held in Turkey, Çavuşoğlu said:
"I was very surprised by the warning you are giving about the upcoming elections. The elections in Turkey are democratic and transparent. The will of the people is always reflected. Governments in Turkey assume power always with the vote and choice of the people and when change is made it is done with the vote of the people."
Racism and Islamophobia in Europe
Çavuşoğlu noted that Turkish citizens living in Belgium are affected by the racism and Islamophobia that is on the rise in Europe and said:
"We expect the Belgian administration to take serious steps, to take measures against the attacks on mosques, our citizens. We want to cooperate with Belgium from now on on on issues that concern the Turkish community. On the subject of visa applications, we have experienced a number of problems with Belgium as we have experienced with the other countries of the European Union and the Western countries. Some countries have taken steps to speed up the process and we expect the same behaviour from Belgium."
philenews / in.gr
