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Hundreds of suspected Kurdish militants remain in EU countries, says security source
Excerpt:
Mehmet Yegin, an expert on security and U.S. policy at the International Strategic Research Organization in Ankara, said nations often seek to take advantage of elements within other countries.
“The important thing is, what are you doing to prevent [other countries] from utilizing terrorist elements,” he said.
“Turkey took steps of this kind in the past, particularly in Europe. There were joint operations between security forces. As a result, European countries were forced to be more sincere and take genuine action against the PKK. In the end, there were operations against the PKK in various European countries.”
However, he warned that a reduction in influence in the West would see Turkey’s enemies gain in stature.
“Now the West sees the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, as struggling against Daesh,” he said. “The press too propagandizes this substantially. We are not at a point at which you can introduce the [PYD] as a terrorist organization.”
Yegin called for Turkey to utilize all available channels to make its case. “It was a good step from the prime minister to tell the foreign press that ‘Turkey is against all terrorist organizations’.”
Strengthening its public diplomacy and expressing its position clearly would also make foreign governments more favorable to Turkey’s demands, Yegin added.
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