Brussels, 10/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 September, European Council President Donald Tusk condemned the acts of terrorism in Turkey and called for the peace process to be continued.
“We discussed terrorism and I reiterated my condemnation of the recent terrorist attacks in Turkey”, Tusk stated after his meeting with Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. He underlined “Europe's continuing strong engagement in fighting against the terrorism of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Daesh”.
The previous day, during a meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Tusk had said: “Terrorism, whatever the place or where it has taken place or what it targets, and the person responsible for it, must be strongly condemned.” “The European Union wants to cooperate closely with Turkey against terrorism. We continue to be engaged in the fight against the presence of the PKK in Europe”, he said. He also repeated the importance of putting the peace process with the Kurds back on track. “The ceasefire in 2013 between Turkey and the PKK was welcomed with hope and relief by all the countries of the EU. We continue to believe that this choice was good. In fact, there is no other reasonable solution”.
In Strasbourg on Wednesday 9 September, European Parliament President Martin Schulz also said he was “very concerned by the spiral of violence into which Turkey is sinking”. He condemned “all types of attack and aggression against the security forces and civilians” and called for the peace process to be resumed and the ceasefire to be re-established. “All voices calling for peace and reconciliation must be authorised to have their say”, Schulz added. “The Turkish political leaders have the responsibility of showing the greatest restraint, of working for social peace, of avoiding any spirit of confrontation, and of avoiding development of the blame game. Turkey more than ever needs unity and not division”, he said.
Solidarity and unity for managing the migration crisis. Speaking about the conflicts in the region, Tusk also underlined, during his meetings in Turkey, that the EU and Turkey should have solidarity and be united. “Solidarity and unity are our main leaders”, he said. “The EU and Turkey already do many things together, but we have agreed that more will be needed. From both sides”, he said after his meeting with Davutoglu. “We are already focusing on a strong EU-Turkey partnership. Apart from progressing on migration, we could do more together in areas such as foreign policy, economic and trade relations, the fight against terrorism, mobility, and energy cooperation. And we should do it”, he added. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)